The Revolutionary War
by crazyringo
Summary: Akira knew that living in the Imperial Capital was no easy feat, especially since she's desperately trying to avoid her past. Never did she expect that she would be kidnapped by Night Raid and expect her life to change for the better. First AGK fic
1. Kill Akira

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! This will basically be my very first attempt in creating an Akame Ga Kill story so I apologies in advance if I make any mistakes concerning the characters and how they act. I re-watched the anime more than once and I'm currently sitting down reading the manga and so hopefully I won't screw up too much by writing the characters.**

 **Anyway, I will write this story on my own pace to easily inspire motivation and other ideas. Also, this story is going to be based on a mix between the anime/manga on some portions but not all. It's mostly on my opinion on how the series should've gone, not counting my OC's involvement of course, and finally I hope that you guys will accept my OC's, Akira and Takumi, with open arms and... That's pretty much it. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Kill Akira**

 _ **Five years ago... Year 1019**_

 _When it comes to dungeons the first thing you'll notice is the stench, followed by the molded straw, the blood, and of course the rank odor of unwashed bodies. Second, it was the sounds. Monotone drips of water against stone, whispers in the dark carried on by frightened voices and the skittering footfalls of rats._

 _Third, is the feeling of it all._

 _Akira had slowly awoken from her abrupt slumber. Upon waking up, she couldn't help but to scream out furiously due to the agonizing pains and aches her body is enduring. Sweat drenched her face as she found herself in a crouching position on the cold, jagged, stone floor. Her knees told her that she had been in this position for several hours in pain. She discovered she was wearing some sort of armor as she tried to stand up._

 _ **How did this happen? From a perfect day to utter chaos. How did I get here?** The redhead wondered._

 _The clanking of the metal chains caused one of her captors to approach her cell to find their prisoner rousing from slumber._

 _Akira's frightened azure eyes looked frantically into the darkness, proving to be futile since it was pitch black, and so she looked up the ceiling. She focused only on the chink on the mortar of the brick, the only place through which Akira would see the light of day and the light of the night being the moon._

 _The door to her cell opened and a tall, sleek, dark haired, broad-shouldered man stepped forward. He had dark brown eyes and a scar across the bridge of his nose, and just by looking at him Akira could tell that he was bad news._

 _Regardless, the redhead tried her best to not look intimidated by him,"Who the fuck are you? Where am I? And, what the heck is this?" she asked her questions, the last one referring to the 'armor' around her torso._

 _Akira couldn't explain it, but every time she moved or breathed in too deep, it caused her to flinch. It hurt. Everything hurt._

" _My name and our current location is of no concern to you at the moment." he completely dismissed her first two questions, and he sneered, "I trust that you're comfy."_

 _ **Do I look comfortable to you? Jackass.** "That depends. Why don't you come closer? I'll show you just how comfy I really am!" Akira retorted, glaring at him while tugging at her chains, even moving her wrists hurt. She looked down, and she finally noticed it. Sharp needles were lined along the shackles, gingerly stabbing her wrists with each agitated move. **Is the armor around my torso made from the same material?** "What are these?!"_

" _A feisty little thing, aren't you? Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine from where I'm standing." her captor spoke amused, crossing his arms, "Those are needles, my dear. If you attempt to move, these will dig deeply into your flesh. They will undoubtedly touch your nerve system and," he chuckled, "Let's just say it will be excruciatingly painful. That armor you're wearing is also quite special. It contains various acupuncture needles and they shall be impaled in crucial places along your back, keeping your Aura blocked and making you almost fully immobile. So, I highly suggest, that you settle down and listen before you do any permanent harm to yourself."_

 _Akira settled down, if only briefly, "Where's my brother?"_

 _It wasn't a question, it was a demand._

" _That my dear depends entirely on your cooperation."_

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout: Conference Room** _ **(Present day, Year 1024)**_

"Listen up everyone," Najenda spoke, authoritatively as she gathered the group's attention, "Night Raid has a new assignment."

"What is it this time, Boss?" Tatsumi asked, eagerly excited for his second mission as a newly assassin, "Do we get to eliminate another jackass for the sake of peace?"

"In a matter of speaking..." the ex-military woman replied nonchalantly, lighting up a cigar, "Tell me, Tatsumi, have you heard of Lupin the Skull Crusher?"

The brunette merely shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

"Neither have I." Sheele responded with a shy raise of her hand.

"Of course you have! You probably just forgot, Sheele." Mine grumbled, "Again..." she added as an afterthought.

Meanwhile, the other Night Raid members in the room tensed at hearing the name...

"Seriously?! That psycho really is back!" Lubbock spoke out in disbelief, looking a bit pale.

Leone growled in displeasure, smashing her fists together, "That coward finally came out of hiding after all this time, huh? I can't wait to crush his skull with my own two hands!"

"Is this guy really all that bad compared to Ogre?" Tatsumi was curious now, "What the heck did he do?"

"It's not what he did, it's what we think he's STILL continuously doing that bothers us the most!" Bulat stated as he crossed his arms, his fists tightly clenching the sleeves of his leather jacket, "Damn it! I still can't believe we let him get away!"

"He got away?" the swordsman spoke, surprised and under his breath he couldn't help but to whisper, "That's a first..."

"I'm so sorry!" Sheele apologized as she got on her hands and knees, frantically bowing while sputtering apologies, "If I had paid more attention, he wouldn't have gotten away! I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...!" she finished off with a pathetic whimper.

"It's alright, Sheele. You don't need to apologize." Mine reassured her, crouching down beside her friend, "That sneaky bastard just managed to one up us, that's all."

Tatsumi's eyes widened, "He managed to get away from Sheele?!"

"Yes. At the time, I've sent the rest of the Night Raid members to infiltrate Lupin's old hideout within the Capital. His base turned out to be underground near one of the Capital's Great Canal tunnels, but as it turns out... while in the process of giving him his due punishment, the son of a bitch managed to get away by collapsing one of the tunnels, causing a cave in, and managed to get away. We haven't heard from him since..." Najenda told him.

"We got to save a lot of lives that night," Sheele began, having a small smile albeit it was a rather sad one, "And in doing so, the surviving victims got another chance to start over."

"Even so, it won't change the fact that many other lives were lost... Let alone, the remaining survivors might have a rough time pulling through this." Lubbock sympathized in regret.

"Who the fuck is this guy?" the brunette asked out in disbelieve. He just couldn't accept it, he just couldn't accept the fact that this man managed to get away from Night Raid, almost as if it was nothing.

"Lupin the Skull Crusher, that's what they called him during his younger days as a kickboxer. He used to be the leader of the Underground Fighting Tournaments here at the Imperial Capital. The rich, the poor, and criminals alike will come to the Capital from miles around just to see these fights." Akame briefed him on their current target.

Realization dawned on Tatsumi's face, "Oh, those fights! I heard from some of the villagers in my home village that those fighting matches are really brutal! Ieyasu practically wouldn't stop talking about it, saying stuff like, he wanted to show off his heroic skills and participate on at least one match."

Mine simply scoffed, "He wouldn't."

"What was that?!" the brunette snapped in retort, already preparing verbal comebacks in case the pinklette decided to act like a spoiled brat.

"I'm just saying he wouldn't." the sniper responded once again, "If Ieyasu knew the TRUE intentions behind these fights, he wouldn't be so excited. Trust me."

Tatsumi looked at his teammate in horror, "What do you mean?"

"These fights are brutal, as in, Battle Royale kind of brutal. This Lupin bastard likes to kidnap children, specifically ones that have siblings, and he purposely pins them against one another to a fight to the death. By the way, the kids have ZERO fighting experience." Lubbock clarified for him, "Lupin forces the oldest to fight for their lives and to ensure that they do what he says, he keeps the youngest as collateral."

"What about their parents? I mean, SOMEBODY needs to be wondering the whereabouts of the children!" the swordsman spoke, exasperated.

"I know how you feel Tatsumi. But in this rotten society, in this corrupted Capital, nobody would care let alone bat an eyelash for these kids..." Bulat lamented.

"He's right," Leone nodded solemnly, "Aside from the victims being children, the other thing that they have in common with one another is that they're orphans. Nobody would miss them..."

"T-That's terrible...!" Tatsumi gritted his teeth, looking down at his boots while tightly clenching his fists in anger. He then looked up at the boss, "We need to find this son of a bitch now!"

"And we will," Najenda promised him, "Lupin the Skull Crusher shall receive special divine punishment from Night Raid, however, there is one problem..."

"Which is?" the brunette trailed off, hoping that the older woman would elaborate further.

"Like Leone mentioned before, Lupin has come out of hiding, but he's being extra cautious as of late to the point not even my own spies nor Leone herself can track him down." the ex-military woman regrettably informed, "I normally don't like doing this considering everything the surviving victims had gone through, but at this point I really don't see any other options..."

Sheele gasped in surprise, "Are we using the victims to get to Lupin?"

"We have to, given the circumstances at this point." Najenda told them, "Listen up, Night Raid's leads on Lupin the Skull Crusher are very dismal and so our only options into finding him is to get in contact with one of the victims. However, this task will be a difficult one because most of the survivors are either hard to find, or they've been killed off by Lupin when they were found. After all, nobody can turn him in if their only lead is dead."

"He's killing them off now?!" Tatsumi practically roared in outrage.

"Believe me, I'm pissed off too." Mine agreed with him, "And usually, we don't agree very much."

"Which is why, I'm assigning Leone and Tatsumi for this recon mission." the ex-military woman decided, looking towards the chosen pair, "I want you both to head into town and visit these five addresses. If nothing turns up, then I want you to go a restaurant called Farmgate Café. Leone, I'm entrusting you to verify that hunch of yours. If what you're saying is true, then you need to talk to this victim as soon as possible."

"Yes ma'am, we will not fail." the lion shifter assured her boss, "After all, my senses haven't proven me wrong as of yet."

Tatsumi grinned, "You can count on us, Boss!"

* * *

 **Imperial Capital: Downtown**

It was late in the afternoon and so far, Leone and Tatsumi didn't make a lot of progress by going to the first four addresses. The residences were empty and practically deserted, but the blonde managed to catch two particular scents on residence number three meaning that the survivors they are trying to find are still alive and that's a good sign. Right now, they're currently heading towards the Farmgate Café for a little break and to see if they can run into one of the siblings.

"Ugh! How many more residences do we have to check?! We've been walking for hours!" Tatsumi bemoaned for the umpteenth time today, "I know that the Boss said that some of the survivors took extreme measures, but even so... FIVE ADDRESSES! She wasn't kidding..."

"Oh my dear, sweet Tatsumi! You're absolutely adorable when you're hopeless~!" Leone cooed, giggling all the while, "Don't worry. We just got to check one more address and the restaurant that the Boss told us about." she reassured him.

The swordsman blushed a bit in embarrassment, "A-Anyway! Who are the siblings we're looking for?"

"Siblings, Akira and Takumi, a big sister and little brother pair survivors just like a couple of others. Five years ago, the siblings' ages were fourteen and five respectively, and you can definitely tell they're related when it comes to looks because both of them are redheads and have blue eyes to boot!" the blonde responded.

"Wow... They were that young, huh?" the brunette couldn't help but comment, "Let me guess: Currently, Akira is supposed to be nineteen and Takumi should be about ten years old now, correct?"

"BINGO!" the lion shifter cheered for her underling's math skills, "And apparently, Akira holds a part-time job as a waitress in the Farmgate Café so we might be able to run into her, unless today is her day off."

Tatsumi just smiled at his big sister's antics, until a question popped up, "Hey Sis, I've been meaning to ask you something... What are the chances that they're going to remember about Lupin let alone where he is?"

"I know how you feel Tatsumi, but any crucial detail from five years ago is as good as nothing. The others and I turned Lupin's old hideout upside down to look for any leads, and unfortunately nothing useful turned up... Which is why, we need to do everything in our power to find information and take this bastard out!" Leone proclaimed in determination.

The pair finally made it to the Farmgate Café, only for the lion shifter to stop in her tracks and accidentally cause Tatsumi to run into her...

"What's wrong Si-"

Before the swordsman could finish his question, Leone all of a sudden turned around and hugged the young boy to her chest, slightly suffocating him with her boobs. She then dragged him off a bit to the side near an alleyway so that they wouldn't be spotted. After ensuring that they were out of sight, the blonde released him.

The brunette gasped for breath the moment he was freed and was about to rage, until he saw Leone making a gesture to be quiet.

" _What the heck is wrong with you?!"_ Tatsumi whispered, exasperatedly as he glared at her.

" _I guess you could say, I_ **really** _took your breath away."_ The lion shifter giggled at her own little pun, before pointing towards the street, _"Look over there."_

 **Did she just made a _pun_?! And here I thought the Boss was bad... **Tatsumi thought in blasphemy with a scarlet blush blossoming his cheeks, clearly it wasn't the first nor the last time his big sister figure had hugged him to her chest, but still! Admittedly, it was great but also a bit unnerving... At last, he did as instructed and looked towards the blonde's line of sight.

It was their target and victim, Akira.

The redhead was walking down the street in a hurried manner, her azure eyes looking this way and that as if keeping a lookout in case someone was after her. The girl wore an orange hoodie for the Autumn cold, a blue bandana around her neck, blue denim shorts, sneakers, and she wore bandages covering the entirety of her hands.

"You saw the bandages, right? She's either hurt, hiding some pretty nasty scars, or maybe a little bit of both. Regardless, we managed to find her, and I'm guessing she's heading home." Leone did a quick observation. She then looked to her teammate, "Tatsumi, I want you to go ahead to the last address. If you make a mad dash out of the end of the alley, that should give you a straight shortcut to the residence and I think you'd be there by night fall, if you're fast enough. Sneak quietly into the house and just wait in the living room, okay? It's important that you aren't seen."

Tatsumi nodded in understanding, "What about you, Sis?"

"I'm going to tail Akira and make sure she heads home safely, just in case Lupin decides to show up." the outlaw told him.

"Alright then," the swordsman started to head off towards the end of the alleyway, "Be careful!"

Leone merely smiled and she left to start tailing her target, "You too, Tatsumi."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital: Residences**

It was a long day for the redhead and it couldn't be over fast enough. Working as a waitress at a relatively popular Café at the downtown district of the Imperial Capital, where is mostly populated and taking care of the customers needs, was by no means an easy feat. She left late yet again for the third time this week, though she really wanted to get home earlier. Akira could only hope that her little brother wasn't too upset with her.

 **I need the money to keep us stable and it's ten times better than living on the streets...** The redhead mused in her thoughts. Getting home from work, Akira noticed that in her little brother's room the light was off. **I guess the little guy fell asleep.** She thought with a smile, usually Akira has one room in the house that the light is always on and that's her little brother's room.

Upon closer inspection however, the redhead went visibly stiff and paled a bit in comparison as her smile was wiped clean off her face...

The front door was open.

 **Oh Gods, please... Not again, not EVER again!** Akira thought in desperation as she did a mad search of the house, quietly of course as to not startle the intruder if he or she was still in the vicinity.

When she went to investigate, Akira found that the majority of their furniture was there and nothing seemed out of place. There wasn't even signs of a struggle either, even the small amount of her jewelry in her bedroom and the silverware in the kitchen were still there, untouched.

 **Okay then, so it's not a robbery.** The redhead thought in slight relieve, however she still hadn't dropped her guard yet. **Then, that leaves... Takumi!**

Akira headed upstairs and toward her little brother's room, she leaned her head against the door frame to listen in. It was faint, but she could hear movement inside the room. **If I'm wrong about this, I'll just fix the door later. I'm coming, Takumi!**

Without hesitation and within a second, Akira kicked the door open and the sight that behold her made fear grip within her heart. A young man was in her little brother's room, hovering over Takumi, who seemed to be fast asleep. The intruder's attire consisted of a cream colored sweater vest, blue jeans, and brown boots. He seemed to be an averaged-height individual with sleek, brown hair, and viridian eyes, not to mention the iron sword he had on his side.

"Hey!" that caught the young man's attention, looking up Akira's way and the redhead glared at him as she got into a battle stance, "You got _**some**_ nerve breaking into my house! If you think I'm going to let you kidnap my baby brother again, then you have another thing coming!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! It's not what you think! I'm friendly, I promise!" the brunette spoke insistently, raising his hands up in emphasis that he didn't mean any harm.

However, Akira isn't going to take any chances, "A likely story. I'm not going back to that Hell hole!"

The redhead charged, aiming a punch toward the intruder's stomach, but he managed to stop it. **He blocked it.** She thought in surprise.

"I'm just here to talk!" the swordsman told her once again, trying to reassure her, "If you would just liste-"

The young man got cut off as he got decked in the face, effectively giving him a shiner. Dazed and caught off guard, he didn't even see the other blow coming... A solid punch to his windpipe. The intruder gagged and gasped for air as he collapsed to the floor, almost motionless.

Akira towered over him and started to interrogate him, "Who sent you? It was Lupin, wasn't it?!"

The brunette coughed as he held a hand near his throat, trying to speak out but he couldn't from the looks of it as he was still trying to catch his breath.

"Talk, dammit! I managed to get away Scott free for the last five years avoiding the son of a bitch and I'm not about to get captured again!" the redhead practically roared at him.

Suddenly, Akira hears the door to Takumi's bedroom close and the winded intruder smiled from where he was.

The redhead immediately tensed and the moment she turned around, she got knocked out by what seems to be a heavy, furry lion's paw...

* * *

 **A/N2: That's the entirety of chapter 1 folks! So... What do you guys think? Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! I'd really appreciate the support and encouragement for this story, especially since I'm trying to do something a tad bit unique to the anime/manga for the actual series.**

 **Also, I know that Takumi hasn't made much of an appearance in the first chapter but he will on the next one! Until next time! :D**


	2. Kill Night Raid

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank my first three reviewers: Drew Luczynski, MislavMagium, and finally my good friend InvidiaPrototype! I also would like to thank the people who put this story in their favorites and/or their currently following this story! The support and encouragement for this project has been awesome and I hope that I can continue doing a good job. Please enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Kill Night Raid**

 **Night Raid Hideout: Guest Room**

When Akira awoke, the first thing she noticed was the blinding pain in her head. She forced her eyes open, but quickly shut them again when they were met with the bright sunlight entering the room because of the open windows. The redhead groaned, covering her eyes with her forearm.

"Ah, you're finally awake!" a familiar voice sounded relieved, but a tad bit hoarse as well.

Akira snapped her head to the side, ignoring the pain and opened her azure eyes once again. Her vision was blurry, but she could recognize that brown mane. Memories from that night came flooding back like a tidal wave for the redhead. The front door of her house was open. A young man was looming over her little brother. And then... She really couldn't remember what happened after that.

 **Takumi...? No, it's not him. Then...** The redhead thought uncertainly as she blinked a few more times, and when her vision cleared, her blue eyes widened upon seeing the intruder from that night. Instinctively, she tensed up.

The swordsman smiled, "Thank goodness. You've been out for the last two days."

Akira lifted herself up a bit from the bed by using her elbows, wincing a bit from moving too fast.

"Careful," the young man spoke, softly as he made to move and help the redhead to sit up, "I wouldn't be surprised if you had a headach-"

The brunette felt the breath escape from his lungs as he was hit with a flying tackle and both he and Akira crashed onto the ground. Within seconds, the redhead straddled him and with her right hand she grabbed his throat in a firm hold.

 **And~, she goes for my throat again...!** The swordsman thought in panic, but not surprised since this girl managed to give a solid punch to his windpipe two days ago, not to mention a black eye as well. Regardless, he brought his hand up to grip her wrist to try and loosen her hold a bit, but he soon found out that Akira wasn't going to let go that easily. **Damn! What is this girl made of?! She isn't letting go!**

"Where am I and what did you do to my brother?!" Akira interrogated him, still not letting up on her grip, "You better talk or else I can't guarantee that you'll have a neck for much longer..."

The young man seemed to have had enough, tightening his grip on her wrist as he slowly struggled to rise up from the ground, "Would you...listen...for just...a...MOMENT?!" he managed to yell out as he purposely butted heads with her, causing the redhead to scream out and finally remove her hand from his throat.

The kickboxer hissed out in pain, bringing her hands up to her aching head. Seeing this opportunity, the brunette reversed their positions while shaking his head, mildly dazed, and he then noted with grim satisfaction that he had the redhead pinned down. Immediately, fists came up to shove him off but the swordsman grabbed surprisingly delicate wrists and held them down.

Noticing that breaking free from his grasp seemed to be impossible, given to her current condition being a killer headache proven worse by the surprising headbutt, Akira settled down and glared at the young man, "What do you want from me?"

"Like I told you two nights ago... All I want to do is talk." the brunette said simply to reassure the girl, "I promise you, I'm friendly."

The skeptical part of the redhead wanted to tell her that he was the enemy, but deep down... Akira couldn't help but believe in his words. The young man's green eyes shone with such sincerity that it was almost hard to believe that he was capable of doing malicious things. And now upon closer inspection, the kickboxer took notice of the boy's injuries he received two nights ago...

"What the hell happened to you?" Akira dared to ask, surprisingly having no recollection of performing the act.

The swordsman gasped in disbelieve, "WHAT?! You were the one who attacked me! What do you mean what happened?! You're the main reason why I sounded like a parched old man stuck in a desert for the last two days, which by the way, my teammates wouldn't stop teasing me about it!" he bantered on and got further irritated seeing as the girl underneath him turned her head away with a huff, "Hey! Are you even listening to me?!"

"Do you have to be so loud?" the redhead spoke, annoyed while practically ignoring him since his insistent yelling wasn't helping matters concerning her headache.

The brunette merely growled in displeasure and was about to give his two cents in before a jolly voice broke through their argument, "My, my~! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

The young man turned his head to see his teammate and older sister of sorts, Leone, who was standing by the doorway, "Oh. Hey, Sis." At the same moment, he relaxed his grip on Akira's wrists and was instantly rewarded with a swift uppercut to the chin, causing him to accidentally bite his own tongue. Tatsumi yelped in pain and rolled off of the redhead before any more damage could be done.

"Oh, Tatsumi! You're so cute when you're hopeless~!" the outlaw cooed as she giggled a bit from his misery, trying to bit back a laugh. It was not once but TWICE that Tatsumi has gotten his ass kicked by a girl, "Honestly, at this rate, she's going to mess up your cute little face!"

The swordsman merely glared at the lion shifter, "Can you please just explain the situation to her? Cause apparently, she won't let me get a word out..."

Leone looked up and away from Tatsumi to stare at Akira, who was huddled up by the edge of the bed while hugging her knees to her chest, as if to protect herself but not really. If the blonde didn't know any better, she'd say the redhead was pissed, in more ways than one from the looks of it.

Regardless of this, Leone merely smiled as she sat cross-legged in front of the newcomer, "Hey there! I'm glad to see that you're up and about with the living! I'm Leone. What's your name?"

"Akira." was the curt response the outlaw managed to receive, at least it was a start.

"A genius, huh? That's a nice name. Do you...remember anything from two nights ago?" the lion shifter asked her, "After being asleep for two days straight, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't."

The redhead thought about the events of that night once again. The front door to her house was open. A young man, which turned out to be this Tatsumi fellow, was looming over her little brother. They had a bit of a fight, and then...

Akira not only flinched but she tensed a bit as well, bringing a bandaged hand up to her head, trying desperately to remember. It all happened so fast, but the moment she turned around from the boy... Akira got knocked out by a flash of blonde.

 **Wait a minute... Blonde?** The kickboxer's blue eyes narrowed as she lifted her gaze up to meet the outlaw's golden eyes. **She looks...** It then clicked into place and Akira all of a sudden did a mix shout of surprise and frustration, "YOU'RE the one who knocked me out!"

"Guilty!" Leone winked while sticking her tongue out in a playful manner, "Sorry about that, by the way, but you left me no choice since you were attacking my adorable underling."

"What was I supposed to think?! HE broke into my house and was doing something to my baby brother! How do you expect me to react?!" Akira practically roared at her while pressing accusations.

The swordsman started to retaliate verbally in frustration, "Gee, I don't know, but if you would stop and LISTEN then you probably would've understood the situation!"

"And~, let my guard down! Why would I?" the redhead spoke, incredulously while giving her captors a suspicious look, "You still broke into my home. What was I supposed to think? I thought three things: That it was either a robbery, a kidnapper, or maybe even an assassin."

"You're right about the last one..." Tatsumi mumbled quietly, but the kickboxer still managed to hear him.

Akira scoffed, "And you expected me to trust you... I was right not to."

"Not only that, but you were also right about the second to last one." Leone mentioned out loud, causing the kickboxer to visibly stiffen.

The redhead kept her narrowed gaze on the two of them, and for some reason she didn't like where this was going... "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see..." the brunette began shakily with a slight awkward chuckle.

* * *

 _ **Two Nights Ago...**_

 _It was nightfall the moment Tatsumi arrived to the final address Leone told him about. The swordsman hunched forward a bit to try and catch his breath, it was a long run to get here after all. The neighborhood was mostly quiet for the most part, only a couple of bystanders walking about, meaning that there wouldn't be any witnesses for the act he's about to do._

 _ **Okay, Sis told me that by this time of night Takumi is supposed to be in his room. So there shouldn't be any problems sneaking in...** Tatsumi thought with a quick assessment._

 _After the brunette finished gathering his breath, he straightened up and looked around both sides of the street..._

 _Nothing on the left._

 _Nothing on the right._

 _Seeing as the coast was clear, Tatsumi approached the home. **Now, if I had a ten year old sibling... Where would I hide a spare key?** He wondered as he began to do a brief search on the home's front porch without looking too suspicious. After a bit of searching, his efforts proved to be fruitful since he managed to find the key under a loose brick by the entrance. **And here I thought Akira was going to hide it under the mat, I guess not.**_

 _Without wasting any time, Tatsumi stood up and was about to insert the key into the doorknob, however he noticed that it was turning by itself... **Oh crap!**_

 _Before the swordsman could even think on how to run away, the front door to the household opened to reveal a ten year old redhead having the biggest grin Tatsumi has ever seen, "Big sis! You're finally home!" after a moment of not receiving a response, the young boy looked up at the stranger at his door, noticing that it wasn't his sister, "You're not sis..."_

 _The brunette gave a short laugh, "Nope. I just happened to be one of your big sister's co-workers..." he gave a shaky laugh, scratching the back of his head awkwardly._

" _Is that so?" the redheaded boy said in surprise, at least he sounded so to the swordsman, "Then, where's my sister?"_

" _She took a late shift. And since I finished my shift early, Akira wanted me to tell you." Tatsumi began to lie, but unfortunately for him... Takumi was one step ahead._

" _Well... Thank you for coming all the way here." Takumi looked grateful and he then began to close the door, "Now, if you'll excuse me..."_

 _ **Crap, I'm so close...! I need a way in!** The swordsman thought desperately, and so he took it one step further, "I, uh... I also happen to be your big sister's boyfriend! She wanted me to come by, hoping that you and I could maybe hang out together 'till she comes back."_

" _And, I'm the Emperor. Sorry buddy, but I definitely know that you're not her boyfriend." the ten year old spoke, confidently as he crossed his arms, "For one thing, my big sis would've told me so. And secondly, you're not her type."_

 _ **Is it me or is this kid too fucking smart for his own good?!** The brunette then decided to take this matter into his own hands, "Could you let me in? I have something very important to discuss with your big sister when she comes back."_

 _Takumi refused to move from the doorway, in fact he began to close the door, "Sorry. I'm not very comfortable letting strangers in to our house... Goodnight." Tatsumi put his right foot forward, stopping the door from closing with his boot, and by this point the redheaded boy was starting to sense danger._

 _And so, the ten year old did what was only natural in this kind of situation..._

" _HEL-"_

 _The swordsman by this point didn't waste any time by pushing through the door and covered up Takumi's mouth with his right hand, the other was wrapped around the boy's neck, slowly making him doze off with a sleeper hold. Within five minutes tops, the redhead went limp in the brunette's arms._

" _I'm sorry about this..." Tatsumi apologized, even though the ten year old was unconscious by this point._

* * *

"And so, after I put the little guy to sleep, I took him upstairs to tuck him in and that's when you walked in on me..." the brunette explained his side of the story, "You see, it was all a big misunderstanding!"

"After I knocked you out though, Tatsumi and I had no choice but to take you and your brother with us since your neighbors started to get suspicious with all the noise, and the last thing we wanted was for the Imperial Guards to show up." the blonde finished for him, raising her hands above her head as she stretched out her muscles, "And that's why you're here, so yeah..."

"I don't know whether to praise your bravery or stupidity for the stunt you've pulled...!" Akira looked beyond irritated as she gave the young man the mother of all glares, if looks could kill she would've won a gold medal.

Leone gave the swordsman a rather stern look, "You do realize what was your fatal mistake, right?"

"I left the front door open, which lead to my discovery." Tatsumi hung his head in shame, before adding an important detail, "That's why, as assassins, we ALWAYS cover our tracks regardless of the type of job we do so that we aren't discovered."

"Good boy!" the outlaw praised him with a smile, patting him on the head, and then she looked up at Akira, "As you can clearly see, he's our hopeless rookie, but he shows promise." She grinned, "And~! I'm hoping that you can show us some promise too!"

"Who says that I wanted to join whatever it is you're a part of?!" the redhead retorted, standing up from the bed and was about to depart from the room, "More importantly, I want to retrieve my little brother and just go home."

All of a sudden, Tatsumi blocked her exit, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

"And, why the hell not?" the kickboxer asked him, clearly irritated.

"Because you now know the location of our hideout, and as such, we can't let you leave under _**any**_ circumstances!" the swordsman responded, still holding his arms out before he added, "Not unless you join us."

"I NEVER ASKED TO BE KIDNAPPED BY ASSASSINS!" Akira practically roared at the young man, who flinched at her tone of voice, but still stood his ground, "You can't just keep me here against my will!" she argued, "I DEMAND you take me to however is in charge!"

"As you wish," Leone complied with the request, "however, you'll probably change your tune once everything is said and done. At least I hope so, for your sake."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout: Conference Room**

The trio walked in silence on their way to the conference room. Well, Leone and Tatsumi were mostly talking among each other since Akira wasn't up for conversation at the moment.

All of a sudden, the blonde wrapped an arm across the redhead's shoulders, "So, any way for Tatsumi and I to convince you to join us?"

"You can sugar coat it as many times as you want, but I'm not joining!" the kickboxer responded, stubbornly as she brushed Leone's arm off her shoulder, "Besides, having the idea of eventually having my own wanted poster and be hunted down as a criminal doesn't sound very appealing to me." she then added, "I have a little brother to take care of, you know."

"Geez, you're so cynical for a nineteen year old..." Tatsumi couldn't help but comment.

"You and Blondie here have apparently done your research about me and you're practically telling me that I don't have a right to be pessimistic?" Akira retorted back at him, clearly insulted, "I don't know about you, but I sure as Hell know that my life hasn't been all puppies and rainbows, not in this fucked up society..."

"Play nice you two, we're finally here." Leone announced, "I'll head in first and inform the Boss that you're awake so..." All of a sudden, the redhead ignored and ran past her, about to burst the double doors to the conference room open, "Hey! You can't just rush in there!"

Tatsumi also realized his mistake at the same moment...

The swordsman and the lion shifter tackled the kickboxer, falling to the ground as they tried to hold her down. There were startled gasps and murmurs around them. Leone looked up and realized in horror that they had rolled into the conference room when Akira managed to push the double doors open, interrupting a meeting.

"That's certainly one way to make an entrance." Najenda couldn't help but chuckle from her seat with a grin. She then noticed the kickboxer, "Ah, I finally see that you're among the living! How are you feeling?"

The fallen trio disentangle themselves and stood up from the ground. Tatsumi and even Leone herself were to frozen to make a move, and so Akira took a step forward, "My head is pounding and I feel irritated beyond the point of sanity! Who the Hell is in charge here?!"

"That would be me." the ex-general stands up from her chair to make her presence known.

The redhead's azure eyes widen upon taking her first look on the leader of this place. The former military woman has short silver hair and purple eyes. She wears an eyepatch where her right eye used to be, a black suit that shows her cleavage, and finally she has a mechanical right arm. Not to mention, the older woman is currently smoking a cigar, enhancing her tomboyish appearance.

Almost without realizing it, Akira lips seemed to move at its own accord voicing out what should've been her thoughts, "To be honest, if it weren't for those knockers... I would've confused you for a stud!" she stated bluntly and upon realizing her mistake, she quickly covered her mouth with her bandaged hands.

There were immediate gasps followed by a huge lap of silence, only for it to be interrupted by two particular members with their snickering before they just burst out laughing from Akira's bluntness. However, Najenda isn't going to let this slide...not by a long shot.

"Ouch...!"

Both Leone and Tatsumi groaned in pain while seating on their knees, facing their boss with rather guilty glances. Apperantly, receiving a bump on the head by the older woman's mechanical arm is no laughing matter...

However, the brunette had to raise an objection, "How come Akira doesn't get punched?!" he complained.

"For one, she's injured with a head injury. Two, she at the very least said it with a straight face instead of having to laugh at my _**FEMININE**_ appearance!" Najenda spoke as a matter of fact, putting more emphasis on her femininity, "Lastly, she's new around here, so consider it a freebe for today."

 **I'll be sure to remember that. That was hilarious though...** The kickboxer thought with a small smirk before she cleared her throat and proceeded to the discussion at hand, "Thank you for your kindness. Please forgive my slip up. Now, where was I? Ah, yes! I've just been told by these two that apperantly I can't leave this place and I find it to be completely absurd, you can't just keep me here against my will!"

As Akira finished off her sentence, Leone and Tatsumi couldn't help but frown. **We have names you know!** They thought irritably.

"I completely understand, however, that's not how we do things around here..." the ex-general lamented to reply, "Do you know who we are or do you at least have an idea of what we do?"

"All I know is that you people are a group of assassins." the redhead responded.

"Not just any assassins, we're an infamous group known as Night Raid." Najenda informed her, startling the kickboxer with the revelation, "Judging by your reaction, you do know who we are, though I wouldn't be surprised if your opinion of us is fifty-fifty considering public opinion shifts here and there."

Akira managed to relax her posture a bit, "I do know that you guys mainly operate at night and that you're rumored to be allied with the Revolutionary Army. Other than that, I know that sometimes Night Raid opens itself as an 'Assassins for Hire' firm to the general public, however, you do not just take any job from just anyone."

All of a sudden a string wire appeared at her neck, causing the redhead to tense up yet again.

"Uh-oh, this one seems to be too smart for her own good..." a green haired boy whispered warily into her ear, sending shivers down Akira's spine.

"Let me guess, this is the part where you'll kill me for knowing too much..." the kickboxer dared to speak, though her sentence was suprisingly quiet and shaky.

"Lubbock, settle down or else you'll give the poor girl a fright." the ex-military woman lightly chastised him, causing the boy to back off from the redhead as commanded, "To answer your question: No. We won't kill you, however, we can't let you leave either since you now know the location of our hideout, which by the way is located ten kilometers north from the Capital in the mountains, and so we can't risk the posibility of being found out by the Imperial Army." she regreted to inform her guest.

Akira was just flabbergasted, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "But, I didn't ASK for my brother and I to be kidnapped by infamous assassins!"

"There's more to it than that. Have you heard of Lupin the Skull Crusher?" Najenda asked her.

"Do you really need to ask?" the redhead was absolutely stunned at hearing **_that_** nameagain, after five long years even more so, "He's really back, isn't he...?" she spoke, shakily as she hugged herself with her arms, her bandaged hands tightly clenching the sleeves of her orange hoodie. **If he's here, then that means...** "Is he...coming after me and Takumi?" Akira asked out in fear.

The ex-general had a sympathetic yet firm expression on her face, "It turns out that Leone and Tatsumi's decision to bringing you and your brother here was a good choice on their part. While you were knocked out, we had recently discovered that Lupin has eliminated the other remaining survivors from five years ago. So, whether you like it or not, you and your brother will be under Night Raid's protection until Lupin gets taken out."

"And, what then?! Even if Lupin gets taken out that still doesn't mean that you'll let me leave once you're done with the job now is there? What about my old life? You're ASKING me to give it up! Just like that!" the redhead argued, clearly pissed off by this point. "How the heck am I supposed to support Takumi without a part-time job?! And I'm sorry for saying this, but I don't think I can feel safe here let alone live with WANTED criminals!"

"I'm afraid that you'd have to remain here until further notice... Please understand." Najenda regreted to inform, "However, all is not lost, I can give you a job here. Whether it's on the field with the others or working a couple of side jobs for our Faction. How would you like to join Night Raid?" she offered, "We could always use the extra muscle in our forces."

There was something unreadable in Akira's blue eyes as her face settled into a glance of defiance, "So, you're basically asking me to become a criminal?"

"Not necessarily..." Lubbock spoke, rising up in his leader's defense, however, the older woman raised a hand to silence him.

"I was merely giving you an option to make money. It's alright if you refuse, reagardless you and your brother will be taken care of." the ex-general reassured her, "You'll have shelter, three square meals a day, and of course my offer to join Night Raid still stands for whenever you change your mind."

"Thank you for your hospitality and generousity..." the redhead spoke gratefully, at least she sounded grateful to the other members, but they couldn't tell seeing as Akira kept staring blankly down at her sneakers, "Does...Takumi know any of this?" she asked.

"No. He does not, and in case you're wondering, Takumi is safe playing with some toys in his room." Najenda told her, "Do you wish to see him?"

"Not now. I just, I just need to be alone right now..." the kickboxer mumbled out quietly, turning around and started to head out of the room.

The ex-military woman nodded in understanding, "Very well."

The double doors to the conference room slammed shut, indicating Akira's departure.

"Geez! What's with that girl?!" the sniper spoke, irritably as she was the first one to break the silence, "After everything we did for her too! She should be supremely grateful that we saved her life!"

"Mine, I really don't blame Akira for acting this way. In fact, this is an entirely new lifestyle that she along with her brother need to get used to." Sheele reasoned with her teammate.

Akame nodded in agreement, "After thinking that they were in the clear from that psychopath for five years straight, even more so."

"I can't help but feel guilty though..." Tatsumi mumbled out, balling his fists on his lap, tightly clenching the material of his jeans, "I mean, we mostly kidnapped them just for information. Did we...do the right thing?" he wondered out loud.

"Tatsumi, you and Leone did what needed to be done. Besides, those two wouldn't be alive right now if you guys left them at their house, you know." Bulat reassured him with a smile, "She'll come around eventually, don't worry."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Bulat. Which is why, I want you all to be as patient as possible with Akira. Cosidering her situation, she's emotionally unstable and her behaivor as of right now is unpredictable, so do your best to give her some space when needed and make sure that she doesn't escape from the hideout. Our survival demands it." Najenda instructed them, "Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am!"

 **Akira doesn't seem like the type to give up, not easily anyway, so...** Leone just grinned, thinking up how much of a challenge and resolve this new girl is going to show her. For all she knew the redhead might even put up more of a fight than Tatsumi did before he officially joined. "I'll keep a close eye on her, in case she decides to pull anything."

"And if push comes to shove, I'll reinforce some of my traps sometime tomorrow." Lubbock added with a wink.

The ex-military woman lighted up a new cigar, "Just do what needs to be done, for her sake..."

* * *

 **A/N2: So, that's the entirety of chapter 2 folks! Please let me know what you think on your reviews! Any form of support would be wonderful and appreciated. Until next time! ;)**


	3. Kill the Introductions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank fe4lone, dgMax, and a guest for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. It really warms my heart that Akira seems to be likable already and I hope that she will continue to do so for you guys. I hope you enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Kill the Introductions**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Akira's Room**

It's a brand new day, specifically it was noon. And by the Gods, Akira was tired.

All Akira wanted was to start a normal life with her little brother. That's all. But obviously, she won't get her wish... Evidently, she didn't sleep a wink last night. How could she? After being told that she had to forcefully give up her old life and settle onto a new one, one that she DEFINITELY didn't ask for, is even more of a reason why her mind was plagued with unnecessary and yet reasonable thoughts to her newfound situation.

The redhead didn't know what was worse, being kidnapped and put under protection by wanted assassins or being hunted by the man that tortured her and her little brother's life five years ago... It was all just a big mess.

On the bright side, if the kickboxer could even consider it as a silver lining anyway, she and Takumi have food, shelter, protection, and in Akira's case she even has a guaranteed job waiting for her by working for this supposed Faction for the Revolutionary Army or even assist Night Raid out on their missions.

 **As if I'll work for a band of criminals...** The redhead scoffed at the thought as she lay on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling from her bed. She then closed her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. **I need to get out of here. I don't feel any safer here than I was at home...** When Akira thought about it like that, it did sound bad. Not being safe in her own home. Then again, who WOULD feel safe when they're living in the Imperial Capital? **First things first, I need rest. And as soon as tomorrow comes, I'll escape with Takumi when the first opportunity presents itself, but right now... I need rest.**

All Akira wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep her troubles away. However, a knock on her door disrupted her from doing so. She figured if she ignored it long enough the person at her door would eventually give up and go away.

The knocks continued being insistent.

The kickboxer proceeded to put her pillow over her face and began to sob quietly, seeing as from the looks of it she's going to be forced to start the day somehow with or without her say so.

" _Aki, open up~!"_ A familiar voice spoke out. It was rough, high-pitched, and yet it had an adorable squeak to it. Akira couldn't really describe it, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Leone. _"I know you're in there!"_

 **Shit! It really is her...** The redhead thought irritably, however she decided to be firm and not bother to let the blonde assassin in. She shifted to her side and covered herself up with the blankets, determined to at least have a nice nap."Go away, Blondie!"

From the other side of the door, Leone smiled. _"Hmm...okay. Be stubborn. Just to let you know, I don't give up that easily."_ She warned, and with a mischievous glint in her golden eyes she added. _"I ALWAYS get what I want!"_

"Life doesn't work that way!" Akira retorted realistically, willing her eyes closed and hoping that sleep will claim her.

Silence settled for a moment. The insistent knocking has stopped as the quiet resumed to fill the space and it has remained so for quite some time.

The redhead couldn't help but sigh in relief, burying herself further on the bed sheets. **Finally. Peace and quie-**

All of a sudden, the door to Akira's room slammed open and off its hinges from the force of Leone's kick. Startled, Akira quickly sat up on her bed and fixed the blonde with the most fearsome scowl she could muster.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" The kickboxer yelled at her. "It's bad enough that you people are keeping me captive here, against my will might I add, and now I can't even have privacy in my own room!"

"Well...I knocked on the door, several times actually, but you never even bothered to let me in." The lion shifter merely laughed it off as if it was nothing.

"Fuck...!" Akira cursed with a groan as she lay back on the mattress, making the blonde let out another laugh. **You would think she would get the hint and just go away...! I guess not.** She thought in dismay.

Leone began making her way towards the redhead. "Aw, come on! Don't be like that."

The kickboxer immediately sat up again, pulling the blankets up to cover her modesty. "No, you stay over there! Don't come any closer!" She warned, pointing while giving the blonde an intimidating glare, but the outlaw only continued to move closer. "Blondie, I am warning you!"

Akira began backing away as much as she could until her back made contact with the headboard of her bed, giving her no more room to escape, and now even more so since Leone closed the distance between them and trapped the redhead by putting her arms on either side of Akira's head. The room all of a sudden felt ungodly warm for Akira's liking. Both women were so close, they're noses almost touching, and the kickboxer was flustered as all get out.

"Why are you acting so nervous like a little mouse?" The lion shifter asked amusingly, staring down at Akira's azure eyes while teasing her with a small grin for added effect.

 **Out of everyone in this group, she's my least favorite. God, I hate her! Just what the hell is her problem anyway?!** Akira thought exasperatedly, eyeing the blonde warily. "Why are you here?"

 **Damn, she's adorable.** The blonde couldn't help but think to herself. There was just something about the redhead that she liked and so far that thing was pushing the redhead's buttons, Leone just can't help but to mess around with her and wait and see what kind of reaction she'll receive. It's as if she was messing around with Tatsumi, but different and much more amusing.

"I wanted to see you." Leone replied casually as she started to play with some of Akira's wavy locks, before chuckling a bit and decided to be truthful. "To be honest, I wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing."

"Well, I don't want to see you." The redhead said flatly, dismissing her concerns.

The outlaw flinched a bit from her harsh tone. "Yeah, I know you're upset. And I get that, but the longer you avoid me the worse it will get."

"I don't care." Akira looked away knowing that Leone had a point, as much as she hated to admit it, but regardless she was still defiant. "Go away." She insisted stubbornly.

"No can do sweetheart, even you can't keep this up forever." The lion shifter said knowingly.

The kickboxer merely responded with a huff. "Watch me."

The blonde shook her head and gave a warm smile. "I've got a better idea..."

All of a sudden, Leone backed off and grabbed onto Akira's free arm. Being forcibly pulled out of bed was not only a surprise but also scary quite the same since the redhead wasn't expecting the action, holding the blanket she had draped over herself with a death grip, as if her state of dress wasn't bad enough... Akira will be DAMNED if she let's Leone have her way! The kickboxer kept herself grounded on the spot which managed to stop the lion shifter in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" The outlaw asked, seeing as the redhead yanked her arm free out of her grasp.

Akira stared blankly down at her feet, avoiding the blonde's gaze. "If you're going to insist on dragging me out of bed, then can you AT LEAST give me a moment of privacy to put some clothes on...!" She muttered shyly, her face was obscured by her long hair but even Leone could tell the that kickboxer's face was the same shade as her own hair color.

"OH~!" The lion shifter gave a sly grin, realization dawning on her face. "I didn't think you'd fancied sleeping in the nude!" She teased.

"Says the girl who practically walks around half-naked!" Akira retorted indignantly. "Besides, I have my days! There are days where I want to sleep fully-clothed, on my underwear," She then grumbled a bit. "And sometimes, even bare..."

"What are you talking about? I'm dressed!" The outlaw said with an adorable pout.

The redhead merely rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! You're practically walking around in your UNDERWEAR! You're parading yourself! And by the way, those trousers you're wearing shouldn't even be considered pants! Actually, they even shouldn't be considered trousers either!" **Not to mention that it's VERY distracting...!** The kickboxer added in her thoughts, not that she'll ever admit it to Leone.

"Keep butchering my sense of fashion why don't you..." The blonde spoke dishearteningly, but it didn't last for very long seeing as she quickly recovered. **Ouch! That's a low blow to my self-esteem. She's so hard to please... Usually, this is a huge hit for the guys back at home. Oh well, it's her loss.** "Whatever, we're both girls here, I don't see what the big deal is."

From the looks of it Leone might've gone a bit too far with her comment seeing as there was something unreadable in Akira's eyes as her face settled into a serious and yet fearful expression. "That's right. You DON'T! Now, do me a favor and get out of my room!"

"Akira, I..." The outlaw wasn't sure what to do, approach her or just leave, but how could she when she can clearly see that the kickboxer was _**shaking.**_ Hesitantly, the blonde took a step forward only for the redhead to take a step back, tightly clenching the blanket she had wrapped around herself with an iron grip. "Akira?"

"You win, alright? You win!" The kickboxer managed to speak out in sobs. "Just please... Please! Give me some privacy. I don't want you to see, I don't want _**anybody**_ to look at me...! I couldn't bear it..."

The lion shifter didn't know what was worse the shaking or the _**tears**_ that are streaming down Akira's face, she herself couldn't describe it but it felt as if she was punched in the gut in more ways than one and it was damn near impossible to breathe.

In the end, Leone relented. "Alright. I'll just be out on the hallway and keep watch, since you know...I broke your door. I-I'm sorry..." She apologized rather quietly as she left the room. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Hallway**

Leone stood silently in the hallway after the small incident, patiently waiting for Akira to come out. The blonde sighed. She hadn't meant for things to happen the way they did and so she couldn't help but feel guilty.

 **I'll apologize again when she comes out.** The outlaw ultimately decided and yet she couldn't help but wonder. **Just what the hell did Lupin put her through... Takumi, from the looks of it, seems to be fine but Akira...** Subconsciously, the lion shifter tightly gripped the sleeves of her outfit in anger. **It's all the more reason we need to take the bastard out. That way, no other child needs to go through what they did.** She thought in determination.

The sound of light footsteps caught Leone's attention, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts. The blonde looked up seeing that it was Akira fully-clothed, but the poor girl didn't seem to want to make eye contact with her. "Look, about earlier... I'm really sorry. That was very insensitive of me and I-"

"It's fine." The redhead gave a curt response as she cut off the outlaw, hugging herself with her arms as a shield to protect herself, clearing emphasizing her discomfort.

 **And... We're back to square one with the short responses.** The lion shifter chastised herself in her thoughts, bringing her hand up to her neck to soothe the small tension that was building up there, it was a nervous habit she tended to do from time to time whether she was either flustered or she had really screwed something up. This time, it was obviously the latter. "So, did you manage to get some sleep last night? How's your head feeling?" She asked in an attempt to make small talk and lighten up the tension.

"No, I didn't." The short responses just kept coming from the looks of it. "I'm fine."

Leone seemed to be at a loss for words. "Okay, uh... I'm sorry. I mean, about your door, I promise that I'll fix it later!"

"Are you going to drag me somewhere or are we just going to stand here and play twenty questions?" Akira asked in a rather huffy tone.

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly. "Oh, uh, yeah...right! I just wanted to get you acquainted with the other members since you know, you're going to be staying with us for a while... I just wanted you to meet everyone."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Fascinating."

"You could've sounded a bit more enthusiastic instead of giving a sarcastic response, you know." The outlaw spoke irritably. **Damn, it's hard to get a read on her sometimes...**

 **I'm not even in the mood to pretend to.** The kickboxer thought honestly. "Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it." The lion shifter sighed in defeat with a small shrug of her shoulders. "So... To start it off, we can head to the kitchen and meet Akame!" She happily suggested. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I don't think I've seen you around breakfast, lunch too actually, now that I think about it..."

Before Akira even had the chance to respond, her own stomach decided to reply with a growl, which there was no mistaking it since aside from her talking to Leone the rest of the hallway was silent, until now.

"The kitchen it is!" Leone said merrily, laughing so when Akira groaned in embarrassment.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Kitchen**

Since Akira hadn't eaten anything yet Leone suggested that they should go meet Akame first since she was in the kitchen.

"Yohoo! Bestie~! Akame, are you here?" The blonde spoke out once they arrived.

Akame was in the process of cleaning up but upon seeing Akira... Let's just say the young sword master quickly went to the back to retrieve some of the leftover food. Once she returned, the raven presented Akira her lunch, which mainly consisted of meat and just by the mere sight of it, Akira nearly gagged. The dish itself looked like the equivalent of a Protein Shake.

"What is THIS?!" Akira exclaimed in shock. "That is not food for a regular day, that is food for high extensive training!"

Akame held a blank stare. "What's wrong with it?"

"The dish is mainly meat." The redhead told her.

"So?"

"So? What do you mean by _"So"_?! I need variety! As in, vegetables and other side dishes. CARBS!" The kickboxer yelled in emphasis. "You can't survive just by eating meat! That's bad for you! Y-You could, YOU COULD DIE BY HIGH CHOLESTEROL!"

"That may be true, but meat has never let me down before." The raven stated confidently.

"I'm even more surprised that you're able to maintain your figure!" Akira said in amazement. "Let alone continue in this occupation... You should be dead. And I don't mean it in a bad way, I'm just speaking realistically here!" She added.

Leone merely chuckled at the silly banter. "Akame is our residential wild child. And, she's also our main cook so yeah... You're going to have to get used to eating like this."

" _ **NEVER!**_ " The redhead yelled in defiance. "I'd rather starv-"

Akira's sentence was cut off by her growling stomach, yet again, to clearly signify that she was starving and the knowing looks from both Leone and Akame weren't helping matters either.

The kickboxer stiffly coughed onto her hand, seeing as her body betrayed her once again. However, she decided to act as if the action didn't happen. "As I was saying, I'd rather starve."

What happened next is something that Akira herself didn't even see coming...

"Leone, hold her."

All of a sudden, Akira was forced to sit down on one of the dining chairs and Leone immediately stood behind her after forcing the redhead in her seat. The outlaw then wrapped her arms around the Akira's frame, as if they were restraints, and the kickboxer was looking more and more displeased within seconds.

"What's going on? Let me go!" Akira shouted, trying to break out of Leone's grasp but she quickly learned that task was impossible seeing as the blonde's grip was strong, not even her kickboxing training could get her out of this one.

The lion shifter then leaned close to her ear and whispered. "If I were you, I would pay attention to the chew-chew train." She advised as a warning for what was to come.

The redhead was confused by the sudden advice, and then it immediately clicked seeing as Akame had pulled up a chair while having a determined look on her face as she sat in front of the kickboxer, dish in hand. Akira had never been so terrified in her life.

"This food shall not go to waste and whether you like to admit it or not, you are hungry. Therefore..." The raven then took a spoonful of the meal and started to get in Akira's personal space. " _ **I shall have to feed you in you're stead.**_ "

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Training Field**

After having survived such an ordeal, Akira and Leone are making their way over to meet the next Night Raid member. The redhead felt bloated, as if she was going to explode, heck even taking a breath almost felt impossible with how full she was.

"Ugh, my poor stomach..." The kickboxer groaned yet again for the umpteenth time this afternoon, walking a bit wobbly beside the blonde. "Blondie, you're terrible..."

The outlaw chuckled. "You should've just ate willingly instead of acting all sassy with Akame."

"Call it what you want, but somebody needs to tell her to eat properly! That really isn't healthy for her or any of you for that matter." Akira retorted as a matter of fact. "I'm _really_ not looking forward to dinner..." She added.

"You're just like Tatsumi and Lubbock. They also would like to eat variety when it comes to their meals, everybody else just goes with the flow." Leone laughed, and once they made it to the training field she couldn't help but smile. "Speaking of the boys, two of them are currently sparring right now."

The redhead looked up towards Leone's line of sight and she just froze. It was as if she was in a trance, her body didn't seem to want to move but her azure eyes followed the precise movements of a certain shirtless, muscular, handsome, hunk of meat layered in sweat. Akira didn't know what was more of a turn on, the man's muscles or his rather interesting heart-shaped hairstyle, either way he successfully managed to catch her attention. She could feel her heartbeat thump in her chest, she could even hear it with her own ears. Why, Akira hadn't felt like this since well...never, until now.

 **Is this what other would people call, 'love at first sight'?** The redhead wondered, still staring blankly up ahead.

Meanwhile, Leone was waving her hand in front of the kickboxer's face, trying to get a reaction but to no avail all she got was a longing sigh. The other sign being Akira's flushed cheeks. Once she followed Akira's line of sight however, it all made sense. Tatsumi was currently in a fierce sparring session with one of their veteran members, Bulat, and the man surely wasn't giving the brunette any leeway when it came to hits. The raven haired man merely blocked each and every one of the swordsman's attacks as if it were mere child's play.

 **Ah! Bulat is the one she likes...** The lion shifter couldn't help but think with a mischievous grin, a plan formulating at the forefront of her mind. **I think I could have fun with this one.**

As if on cue, Akira was calling for the outlaw's attention. "Hey, Blondie. Are you just going to stand there or are you going to introduce me to the fine specimen over there?"

"Oh, you're right! How rude of me!" Leone managed to say with a straight face. She didn't know how she did it, but the blonde did everything in her power not to snicker or else her scheme would be ruined. "You wait right here. I'll go get him, okay?"

The kickboxer nodded rather eagerly and stayed put.

In the meantime, the blonde headed towards the two boys. Their sparring match now over, Leone decided to greet them. "Hello boys~!"

"Oh. Hey, Sis." Tatsumi smiled in greeting. He then looked behind Leone to see Akira a couple of yards away. "Oh wow, you managed to get her out of her room! I really thought she was going to stay locked up all day today." The brunette couldn't help but comment.

"How you doing?" Bulat asked, greeting her.

"I'm doing great! And believe me Tatsumi, it was no easy task...even for me, and that's saying something." The lion shifter replied with her usual grin, she then ushered the muscular man aside. "Hey Bulat, can you come with me for a sec? And Tatsumi, do you mind keeping Akira company? It's real quick, I promise!"

The brunette didn't even think too much of the simple request. "Alright. Let's train together again some other time, okay Bro?"

"I'm looking forward to it!" Bulat said enthusiastically, giving Tatsumi a wink for emphasis, and with that the young swordsman was off. The veteran then turned to face the outlaw. "So Leone, what do you need? Is it a special mission?"

"Nah, it's nothing like that." Leone said dismissively. "It's about Akira. You see, she's still a bit in the dumps after yesterday's events. I'm currently introducing her to the others and so I was hoping that maybe you could give her some words of encouragement."

"Of course." The raven haired man offered his assistance.

 **Perfect! Everything is going according to plan...** The blonde thought in satisfaction. "Excellent! I just want you to introduce yourself, nice and sweet with your manly charms, and that also includes saying _"I want you to call me either Bro or Handsome"_ , got it?"

The veteran seemed mildly confused, but regardless he shrugged his shoulders and went along with it. "Sure, if you think it'll help."

"Trust me. It will." The outlaw assured him, and started to guide him back to where Tatsumi and Akira are hanging out.

The reaction was immediate. Not even two seconds for Leone and Bulat to approach the newcomers, and Akira went visibly rigid, much to Leone's amusement.

"Hello there! You must be Akira. Leone here told me that you're still a bit upset about yesterday, understandably so, and unfortunately because of that we didn't get to properly meet each other." Bulat started off with his introduction, extending his hand out for her to shake while giving her a dazzling smile for good measure. "The name's Bulat, but you can call me either Bro or Handsome! Whichever suits your fancy!"

 **He's so dreamy! I guess being kidnapped by a couple of rogue assassins isn't so bad... Dear God, am I making any sense?** The redhead seemed to have a rather inner conflict with herself before she finally managed to have the courage to shake Bulat's hand, and internally she squealed in glee. **His hand is so warm... Dear God, if this is a dream... PLEASE! Don't let me wake up!** "I-It's nice to meet you too, u-uh, um...Handsome." She responded shyly in kind, feeling her face warming up due to the blush rising up her cheeks.

Tatsumi grinned. "Yeah, Bro is awesome! I don't know if Leone told you, but Bro is actually-"

All of a sudden, the brunette's statement was cut off by Leone unexpectedly hugging him to her chest, slightly suffocating the boy with her large breasts. "A former member of the Imperial Army! Our little Tatsumi is just so impressed by his big Bro's accomplishments, isn't he cute?"

"Well, I don't mean to brag...but back in my army days they used to call me, _"Hundred Man-Slayer"_!" The veteran confirmed with a grin of his own.

Akira's azure eyes twinkled in interest. "Oh, really? Would you mind telling me a couple of stories then?"

"I'd love too!" Bulat spoke in delight, and he then crossed his arms while trying to decide on which military tale to talk about first. "Let's see... Well, there's this one story back when I was still in basic-"

The outlaw had to interrupt by clasping her hands together in a silent apology while simultaneously still keeping the swordsman in her chest, who seems to be going limp as the seconds ticked by. "I'm sorry to cut this short Bulat, but Akira and I still need to meet the others! We're burning daylight!"

"Wait a minute... Didn't you say that Akira needed to be cheered up?" The muscular man asked, giving Leone a wary stare.

"Don't worry. You've already made my day, Handsome!" Akira reassured him before squealing out in glee, putting her hands on either side of her face while looking anywhere but her crush, being shy of making eye contact with him.

Bulat simply stared at the redhead in wonder, all of a sudden being uncomfortable. **It can't be... Akira can't possibly have a crush on-** His blue eyes widen in shock, realization dawning at this revelation, but before he could get to the root of the problem... "Leone..." He spoke out roughly, his voice coming out with a mere growl of sorts.

"Ah! Would you look at the time?!" The lion shifter spoke in mock surprise, looking at her imaginary wristwatch, before finally letting go of a limp Tatsumi and grabbed a hold of the kickboxer's arm. "Let's go Akira!"

"We're going already? But, I wanted to talk with Handsome! Blondie, come on!" Akira all but whined as she was dragged out of the premises.

Almost within a flash the girls were gone, Tatsumi was pale as a ghost and possibly not breathing at this point, and finally Bulat couldn't help but sigh irritably. Already knowing Leone's true intentions of her so called little joke...

"Leone, you're terrible..."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Play Room**

That was a close one. If Bulat managed to get his hands on her...Leone wouldn't be sure if she'd be able to escape with her life, but since she did she might as well have fun while she still can.

 **Whew! I thought I wouldn't be able to get away...** The blonde thought in slight panic, but she then grinned despite it all seeing as she didn't get caught. "Let's see... You've already met me, Tatsumi, the Boss, Akame, Bulat..."

"I wanted to keep talking with Handsome..." Akira spoke out with an adorable pout, crossing her arms while doing so.

The outlaw laughed at her companion's little whine. "There's always tomorrow! So cheer up!" She assured her. "Oh, yeah! We can go and meet up with Sheele, Lubbock or even Mine next! Lubbock is probably in his room tinkering with some equipment and Mine is probably there too so he can help her maintain Pumpkin, unless he's spying on one of us girls while taking a bath so yeah... Fair warning, Lubbock's a pervert. So please feel free to pulverize him if necessary. And finally, Sheele is usually at the library, but lately she seems to like babysitting little Takumi."

"Let's go and meet Sheele." Akira decided for her. "I feel kind of guilty for having her babysit Takumi for the last three days... I want to meet her and thank her properly."

"Sheele it is!" The lion shifter said with a grin.

Once they arrived both girls were surprised to find Mine, Sheele, and Lubbock playing around with Takumi in what seems to be pretend. The setting of the atmosphere and their acting seemed to be Medieval with your typical prince charming, the princess, and of course the dangerous Danger Beast. However, Akira and Leone must've arrived at a bad time seeing as the small group was having a slight disagreement...

"Why do I have to be the Danger Beast?! I want to be the princess!" Mine practically roared out at the ten year old, who was unfazed by her outburst.

"You're not princess material." Takumi replied flatly. "Now, if we're talking about Sheele...she's beautiful, kind, and much more polite than **_you'll_** ever be! The princess role is meant to be hers!"

The pinklette growled in displeasure. "You're such a brat!"

"Oh, cause you certainly aren't?" The redheaded boy countered, raising his eyebrows amusingly while giving her a smirk.

Sheele couldn't help but giggle a bit, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "I think he's cute..."

"That's because you're the one getting complimented!" The sniper argued, making the lilac haired girl cower by her harsh tone. "I mean, look at Lubbock! He's a fucking steed!" She scoffed in disbelieve seeing as the green haired boy got a better role than she did.

"Ah, ah, ah! That's **_suave_** steed to you Mine! I'm the Prince's trusty companion." Lubbock told her with an amusing grin of his own.

Before Mine could even think up a snappy retort, Takumi ran past her to greet his older sister. "Aki!" Akira smiled warmly as she crouched down bit to hug him. "You were asleep for so long! How are you feeling?"

The kickboxer chuckled a bit, kissing him at the top of his head. "It's only been three days, little one. I'm fine." She then looked up briefly to some of the Night Raid members before gazing down at her brother again. "Have you been a good boy? Do the others treat you well?"

"Oh, yeah! They're awesome! Do you think we can stay here?" The ten year old asked her with the cutest puppy dog expression she has ever seen.

" **Stay here", he says. Is he crazy?! We're practically on a Viper pit!** Akira thought exasperatedly while her face looked unsure. **But... How could I ever say no to that face?** "I don't know..."

"Of course you can stay." A familiar spoke out in response.

All the Night Raid members in the room looked up in surprise to see Najenda herself. "Boss!"

"I seem to have stumbled upon a warm sight." The Ex military woman smiled a bit.

"Is something up Miss Najenda?" Lubbock asked his leader.

"No, nothing like that." Najenda waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "However, I'm going to assign you and Leone on a small mission of sorts."

"What's the mission, Boss?" Leone looked excited.

"I need you and Lubbock to escort Akira and Takumi to their house tomorrow. Help them pack up with anything they need and make sure that Akira takes care of any last minute matters at town. After that, just simply report back here." The Ex military woman instructed. "Understood?"

Both Lubbock and Leone didn't need to be told twice. "Yes ma'am."

 **Perfect! Tomorrow will be my chance to get out of here.** Instinctively, Akira's hold on Takumi tightened slightly and on the inside she couldn't help but smile in delight. **I'll get out of here once and for all...**

* * *

 **A/N2: Whelp, that's the entirety of chapter 3 folks! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! The encouragement is always nice and makes me want to write more for you guys. Until next time! XD**


	4. Kill the Escapee

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczynski, dgMax, and a guest for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. Also, I have recently finished reading the manga so you can expect some interesting content for future chapters for my version of this re-write!**

 **And just in case some of you are wondering, "When are we going to get into the series?". The answer is soon. I'm just doing a bit of filler so that Akira and Takumi aren't just there and hopefully these chapters will be enough to blend them in. Anyway, that's enough about me. I hope you enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Kill the Escapee**

It was noon the following day. The small group headed to Akira's home to pick up her and Takumi's belongings and deal with any last minute business matters in town before returning to the hideout. It was rather awkward to say the least. I mean, Akira found it awkward, as if being escorted around town with two professional assassins didn't have her on edge.

 **Okay... As soon as I see an opening, I'm taking it!** The redhead thought in determination, remembering her plan as she packed away her things. She'd just have to try her best and stay relaxed until she can take her chance.

A rather hard pat on the back effectively snapped the kickboxer out from her thoughts, causing her to almost stumble. Before a scowl could set in, an arm wrapped around her neck in a rather chummy manner. "You all set Aki?" Leone asked her with a small grin.

"Yeah, I'm all set." Akira replied grumpily.

"Aw, come on Aki, don't be like that!" The blonde told and began to reassure her. "Everything will get better, you'll see!"

A holler coming from Lubbock downstairs caught the girls' attention. "Ladies, we need to get moving."

"Yeah, I want to go to town and get some crepes!" They could also hear Takumi's excited voice, almost as if he was rushing them.

Both Leone and Akira couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Alright, alright, we're coming."

Soon enough, the small group headed towards the downtown and its bustling streets. Carts monopolized the majority of the road and whatever space remained were for the pedestrians, who were going about their day as usual. Akira was walking on ahead beside Lubbock, whom she was having a pleasant conversation with, and Takumi trailed behind a bit to walk beside Leone. The group is heading to the Farmgate Café and the closer they are getting to the establishment Takumi's pace seemed to noticeably slow down a bit, almost as if he didn't want to go near the restaurant.

"Is everything alright, little guy?" The blonde asked in concern, noticing Takumi's sudden change in behavior.

"Everything is fine. It's just..." The redheaded boy seemed hesitant with his words. "I'm just worried."

The outlaw smiled a bit, giving the boy her undivided attention. "What has you so concerned? Come on, you can tell your Big Sister Leone anything."

"It's about my older sister and her part-time job." Takumi told her honestly.

"Are you worried that she's going to get in trouble with her boss?" The lion shifter asked him.

The ten year old nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure her boss will be understanding once Akira explains her situation." Leone reassured him, though she herself seemed doubtful in her thoughts. **At least I hope so...**

The redheaded boy seemed to have caught her train of thought cause as much as he would love to believe in the blonde's words, Takumi's intuition seemed to tell him otherwise. "If you say so..."

"So, uh... What made your sister get a part-time job as a waitress?" The outlaw genuinely asked him, hoping to tone down the boy's concerns a bit. "Considering that she knows how to fight I'm surprised that she hasn't joined the Imperial Army or became some sort of Bounty Hunter." She couldn't help but comment.

"'The Imperial Army are nothing but scum.' those are her words, not mine, and quite frankly I agree with her. What has the army done for us? _**Absolutely nothing!**_ She didn't want to be a Bounty Hunter either seeing as she'll leave me alone at home most of the time. Not to mention, that the occupation itself is dangerous and she has to take care of me." The ten year old replied honestly. "And so, she took this job as a waitress just for the money though that's only half the reason."

"What's the other half?"

"Before my sister and I got captured by that man five years ago, three years earlier than that my parents died in a robbery. Some bandits broke into our home and cut our parents right in front of Akira, I was three at the time, and so I don't remember much of the incident obviously. My sister had no choice but to run and take me with her before those bandits got to us. For a while, Akira had no choice but to steal in order to survive since she wasn't old enough to find a job yet. As soon as she was of age though, she promised to not only me but to herself as well to never steal again and just work for the rest of her life as an honest woman." Takumi explained. "Since then, Akira has kept her promise and did everything in her power to keep me happy, healthy, and satisfied."

Leone believed it and she couldn't help but smile as she noticed Akira laugh out loud from Lubbock's joke, punching him in the arm in a casual manner. "You're sister is really awesome, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is. And honestly, I don't know what I'd do without her... I'm going to say something, just between you and me: As much as I am grateful for my parents giving birth to me, I just...don't remember them. They're complete strangers to me." The redheaded boy admitted. "I know that I should love them and I know that it sounds awful the way I'm saying it, but Akira was the one who ultimately raised me. My own sister took it upon herself to care for me and helped me become the person I am today." He sniffled a bit, but continued on with a slight chuckle. "God, am I making any sense...?"

"You are, kid." The lion shifter reassured him. "And, I'm sure if your sister heard your little speech...she'd be overjoyed to know that she's doing a good job for you. Never doubt that."

The ten year old boy finally smiled for the first time since their brief conversation. "Thanks, Big Sister Leone."

"No problem kiddo." Leone gave a grin of her own, patting the boy on the head.

Soon enough, the small group have arrived to their destination. Akira inwardly sighed to herself, mentally preparing for the worst, but she will deal with it.

The redhead turned to face the others. "Alright, I'm heading in. I'll be back soon..."

* * *

 **Farmgate Café**

"Fired?" Akira repeated the word slowly, her mind still trying to process everything.

"You heard me: Your lateness is inexcusable!" Her boss yelled out to her face. "You've missed a total of FOUR FULL DAYS of work when you add up all the times you've been late!"

The kickboxer was at a loss for words, admittedly he was right after all. "B-But sir, I..."

"Not another word!"

By this point, all the patrons in the restaurant turned their attention away from their food and looked up to see the full-blown argument that was taking place. The redhead could care less, however she did wish that they would mind their own fucking business. Her boss' insistent shouting was intolerable at best and Akira absolutely had no problem with tuning him out.

 **I NEVER asked for this!** Akira thought irritably, still 'looking' at her manager but her mind was obviously somewhere else. **Even if I did manage to explain everything to him... What are the chances that he's going to believe it? And those late instances was because of-**

"Are you even _**listening**_ to me, you bitch?!"

All of a sudden a hand lashed out, catching the redhead's cheek, his heavy signet ring breaking skin. A series of startled gasps followed soon afterwards from the customers in the restaurant. The kickboxer falls to her knees from the sudden impact and her boss looms over her, and almost without warning the man put his boot on top of her head and forcibly pressed down hard enough until Akira looked like she was on her hands and knees, her forehead and the better part of her face facing the wooden floors of the establishment.

From outside Leone, Lubbock, and especially Takumi were seething in anger as they watched the scene before them from one of the restaurants' windows, they could also hear Akira's manager rants loud and clear from the outside. As if humiliating and insulting the redhead in front of the customers wasn't bad enough...

"Bastard!" Lubbock growled out as he practically pressing himself further to the glass, hoping that maybe he'll be able to phase through and tear the man to pieces.

"Take a number, Lubbock." Leone read his body language and she immediately followed suit, starting to crack her knuckles. "I'm getting first dibs on the son of a bitch!"

The greenlette boy backed off from the window. "Fine, but only if I can get the final blow! Deal?"

The blonde didn't need to be told twice, smirking in response. "Deal."

Before the duo could leave however, Takumi managed to grab a hold of Lubbock's coat and Leone's scarf, stopping both assassins in their tracks. "Takumi-"

"Not yet." The ten year old boy spoke suddenly, surprisingly calm, despite of what's currently happening. "You're about to see just how much my sister is capable of, you'll see..."

 **I'm not sure what to think. It's insane on how many people look down upon one another in the Imperial Capital. It truly is rotten down to the very core...** Akira thought in a daze as she gritted her teeth, balling her fists in anger. **I think the worse thing is when people are greedy with money and power to the point where they take it upon themselves to take it a step further by trying to make a person's life a living hell.**

" _ **This**_ is how it should be." Her boss claims, removing his boot from her head. "With you in a position of submission and fealty before me. You are not fit to lick the dirt from my boots, Akira. Stand up."

The redhead made no move to do so, her face still facing the wooden floors and her body remaining on her hands and knees. **Most of the employees, including myself, had to work day in and day out. More than half of us have worked while their sick or injured on the job, and some just can't afford to take time off. Facing rude customers more often than not and to top it off we have to deal with this slave driver, who ducks our pay for every little mishap just for the** _ **thrill**_ **of it all...**

" **Stand. Up.** " The man ordered again.

The kickboxer did not comply, however she did turn her head to the side, resting her cheek against the floor. Noticing the fact that even though EVERY single customer's attention was on the two of them, none of the patrons made a move to stop this public abuse, though some more than not had rather horrified expressions on their faces.

 **I just _love_ how they KNOW this is wrong, and yet they don't do _ANYTHING_ to stop it! Whether it's from fear or they just love the show... People like that, even when it isn't that bad, are the worse part of living in the Capital. **Akira realized. **Most of the time you have to sit there with a smile on your face as someone insults you. Until it gets to a point where everything just boils over... We just have to let them call us names and be rude to us and act like it doesn't hurt. But I have seen my co-workers run into the kitchen or bathroom and cry just because of something a customer said to them, and sometimes...from our manager's abuse. I never expected someone to be so rude and cruel, especially when these people did _nothing_ to deserve it...**

All of a sudden, Akira felt a hand grab a fistful of her hair and her boss forcefully pulled up until the redhead sat back on her knees. The man lashes out with a booted foot, kicking her in the stomach. A cry of pain turned into a dry heave as Akira struggled to bring air to her lungs, hanging by her hair as she tried her best to stay conscious. Her manager raises his leg again and the kickboxer **burned** with rage. _**No one deserves such treatment!**_

Almost as if on autopilot, Akira gritted her teeth and rose up from the ground, she curled her right hand into a fist and planted it with much force as she could muster at the base of the man's breastbone. He grasps and releases her hair as he falls to his knees, struggling to breathe.

"Hmm. It seems our roles must've switched, boss!" The redhead couldn't help but comment out loud for everyone on the restaurant to see and hear. She then smirked. "Now, it's _**your turn**_ to kneel..."

Her boss looked displeased in more ways than one, giving Akira the best glare he could muster.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Oh, I'm sorry! That was very rude of me! Here, let me help you." The kickboxer helped the man up and she then leaned forward a bit, offering her face while still having that smug smirk of hers, having her arms down at her sides as if not to put any resistance. "I'll make it easy for you, you can try and get one punch in, if you're fast enough."

Her manager seemed to have taken the challenge. The man started out with a punch only to be swiftly caught by Akira within seconds. He was about to pull his fist away, but couldn't due to the redhead's firm grip. Her boss then lifted up his other fist, which proved to be inevitable seeing as he got the same result as before. The kickboxer kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him again before releasing his left arm and proceeded to bring down her elbow with enough force to his right arm, effectively hearing the satisfying sound of bone snapping under pressure. The man wailed in agony as Akira finally released him, letting him writhe in pain as he had fallen to his knees yet again.

 **Honestly, I'd like to do more but... That should be enough, I suppose.** The redhead thought rationally After all, the poor bastard just humiliated and kicked her around in public. There was no need to go overboard. "By the way, you can't fire me because **I QUIT!** "

As Akira spoke her last words to her old manager, she turned to leave the establishment and as soon as she did...she felt an Aura intent. Her body seemed to go into overdrive as she pivoted and grabbed a hold of the man's good arm. With a sharp intake of breath, the kickboxer used all her strength to flip the tall man on his back. His landing wasn't so soft seeing as his back banged against one of the restaurant's tables, making it break under his weight and effectively startle the customers occupying it.

The redhead loomed over the man as he groaned over his injuries, waiting to see if he was going to move again, but he didn't. "And stay down..."

As Akira left some customers and employees alike stunned at the events that just unfolded, she made it outside and reunited with the others.

"Sis, you were awesome!" Takumi was the first one to come and hug her, having a huge grin all the while.

The kickboxer merely smiled in return and hugged him back. "Thanks, little man."

"I've got to admit, I'm impressed." Leone praised as she crossed her arms. "And here I thought you were going to just stand there and take it, but you've handled the situation so well. Lubbock and I were close to barging in there to take care of him ourselves." She admitted.

"You're alright though, right Akira?" Lubbock asked out in concern.

"Yeah, I'm just a tad sore is all." Akira reassured, and she then tried her best to stifle a yawn. **I guess I'll leave my escape attempt for tomorrow...** "I'm tired... And Takumi and I don't have anything more to take care of in town, so can we just head back? Please?" **Tomorrow for sure.** She mentally decided.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Outside Forest/Mountains (First Attempt)**

"Uh sis, can you tell me again on why we're out here on the mountains?" Takumi asked her, wearing a backpack and carrying most of their other belongings with them.

Akira merely giggled at her little brother's silly question, wearing a backpack as well while carrying her fair share of their things. "We're going camping silly! We might as well go out and explore Mother Nature at its finest. Besides, when was the last time we got to out like this as brother and sister?"

"Never." The redheaded boy responded dryly, he wasn't mad but his reply was understandable seeing as his sister never had the opportunity to do such activities with him because she had a part-time job to think about at the time.

They really didn't have much, but it was still a bit concerning seeing as his sister packed _nothing_ appropriate for their supposed 'camping trip'. If the ten year old didn't know any better, he'd guess that his older sister wants to escape. Why? He does not know. Regardless, he will go with the flow and go along with whatever his sister wanted to do for the time being... After all, it was good to be spending time with her like this.

"We're about to head into the forest. If we keep a straight path, we should be in town by two maybe three hours tops." The kickboxer informed him.

Takumi gave his sister a wary look. "I thought that we were going camping..."

"We are! We're just going into town to...stock up on supplies!" Akira insisted with an uneasy laugh.

The ten year old was now confused. "But if we needed supplies to go camping, we could've just asked the others-"

"Let's play a game! It's called: _**SHUT UP**_ and let big sister think!" The redhead announced rather irritably and looked satisfied as her brother had finally shut his yap. "Love you bro!" She added sweetly.

 **I can tolerate her when she's angry, but she's scarier when she's stressed.** Takumi thought uneasily, swallowing rather heavily followed by a sigh. **And, DON'T get me started when she gets sassy...!**

After a while, the siblings followed a path that many travelers had taken throughout the forest and eventually they kind of hit a dead end of sorts.

"Be careful," Akira gently pushed Takumi back and away from some sort of wired fence, immediately taking notice of it. "They look sharp..."

The redheaded boy merely looked in awe. "Whoa..."

Experimentally, the kickboxer brushed her index finger against one of the threads. Barely a touch and Akira flinched as she inspected her nicked finger, blood was already oozing from it and it stung as if she got a mere paper cut. **Definitely sharp.** She mentally confirmed to herself, sucking her minor injury. She then vaguely remembered Lubbock pull out a similar kind of thread against her throat that one time. **He may not seem like it, but he's very dangerous...**

"Are you okay, sis?" The ten year old asked out in concern, taking notice that his sister cut herself.

"I'm fine." The redhead reassured him, she then suddenly gasped as the wired fenced seemed to move, almost as if it triggered some sort of alarm. **Lubbock knows we're here!** She realized as her eyes widen by this sudden revelation. "Come on, we need to get out of here!" She spoke urgently, grabbing a hold of her brother's arm.

As soon as the pair turned around however... They were met with an unexpected guest. The siblings were face-to-face with a feline-like Danger Beast. It was large in size and has huge horns that grows from the side of its head onward, yellow fur and a lion-like mane, and finally it has three red eyes. The beast growled menacingly as its scarlet eyes peered at them with killing intent.

Takumi shivered in fear and paled quite a bit in comparison. "I-Is that a _J-Jackaleo...?_ "

"Uh-huh!" Akira piped up in response as she along with her brother took a couple of steps back from the Danger Beast, which in turn it got nearer as it took a couple of steps toward them. **Isn't Mother Nature just** _ **wonderful?!**_ She couldn't help but think sarcastically to herself. "We should try to outrun it," She told her brother. "There should be a river a little to the south of us. I saw it on the way here."

"Can we even outrun that thing?!" The ten year old practically yelled out.

All of a sudden, the redheaded boy yelped in surprise seeing as his sister scooped him up in her arms. "Nope, but we can most certainly try!" Akira shouted out as the Jackaleo lunged at them. She delivered a snap kick to one of the beasts' horns with precise timing, deflecting the Danger Beast away from them as it fell to its side by the attack. The feline shook its head in a daze before looking down at the ground, noticing that one of his horns got broken, which immediately caused the Jackaleo to roar in fury.

The redheaded boy gulped. "Sis, I think you made it mad..."

"Tell me something I don't know!" The kickboxer retorted as she went into a mad sprint throughout the forest while carrying Takumi in her arms.

The redhead ran as fast as her legs could take her, all the while trying to picture the landscape. Sure enough, within a few minutes she heard the rushing of water which meant they were close. Once she made it to the clearing, she made an abrupt stop since she was about to run over the small hill. Sighing in relief, she stopped to catch her breath and judge the direction of the river. The last thing Akira wanted was for her and Takumi to be washed away, but from the looks of things she may not have a choice...

"Behind us!" The ten year old yelled out in alarm.

Before she had a chance to register what had happened, Akira barely had time to move just as the Jackaleo roared and slammed into her back, the animals' razor sharp teeth digging into her flesh. It all seemed to move in slow motion. Before she had a chance to even register the pain Akira, Takumi, and the Danger Beast fell over the hill onto the rushing river below them...

Her muscles burned by the time Akira woke up and felt solid ground underneath her. The redhead discovered that she was laying on her back, using her apparent torn pack as a pillow for her head. She looked around for a bit only to discover that she was on a river bank, and she then realized something else. **I'm not injured.**

"Sis, you're awake!" Takumi's relieved voice could be heard as he approached her. "Are you alright?"

The kickboxer shakily nodded as she slowly sat up. "Yeah, somehow. What happened to the Jackaleo? And this might be a stupid question, but... How come I'm not injured?"

"Dunno. I asked Akame the same thing when I woke up and she told me that there wasn't one when she found us. And apparently, according to Akame you didn't get hurt by the Jackaleo because your pack is what saved your life." The redheaded boy responded. "You were very lucky." He added.

 **That explains some things. The Danger Beast must've either got washed away by the river or maybe it ran away once it felt Akame's presence.** Akira deducted in her thoughts, she then remembered something. **Wait a minute... Akame?** "Did you say that Akame was here?"

"Yep, she's right over there by the fire." Takumi replied almost casually.

Lo and behold, Akame was by the fire and looked rather delighted since she was preparing some tasty Koga Tuna.

"So, she was fishing the entire time?" The redhead asked.

"Oh, no." The ten year old laughed and began to explain. "She was on patrol, looking for us, and she stumbled upon us washed up by the river bank. Akame even told me that some of the Koga Tuna got fished up with our packs when we got washed up here."

 **Which means, my escape attempt failed. Great... Cause what are the chances that Akame will just let us go? I have no choice but to go willingly back with her.** The kickboxer groaned at the thought, but there was a bright side of sorts. **There's always tomorrow...**

* * *

 _ **The following day...**_ **(Second Attempt)**

 **Why, oh why... Why is it _ALWAYS me?!_** Akira thought to herself exasperatedly, trying to keep herself and her brother, who's currently sitting on top of her back, aloft from the spears that practically screamed "death" below the pit fall they've fallen into. **Oh, that's right. I'm an older sister and it is the older siblings' job to make sure that the younger one doesn't get in danger.** She reminded herself.

Evidently, day two of her escapade started out well but eventually Takumi wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and on the path he was walking on. And thus, that's how the siblings ended up here...in another one of Lubbock's traps. In a pit fall with spears at the very bottom of it...

The redhead tried her best not to freak out on the inside as she was literally face-to-face with one of the lances, and she could even feel a prick of a stab against her abdomen. If she did, she will lose her balance and that would be the end of her no doubt, and possibly Takumi as well. She strained body to get a better hold of the wall, digging her fingers and the soles of her sneakers as much as she could in the soil to keep herself aloft.

"T-Takumi, start climbing." The kickboxer ordered.

The ten year old chuckled a bit shakily. "I don't know sis... To be honest, I'm too scared to do anything else. You know, in case I screw up."

"Stop giving me sass and _just do it!_ "

Sometime later, the siblings managed to get out of their predicament. Takumi lay on the ground to catch his breath and Akira was about to do the same until her foot brushed up against a small pile of leaves... Akira's ankle gets caught on a rope. " _What the-_ " All of a sudden, the kickboxer felt her body get swept up from under her and the next thing she knew she was upside down. "Dammit Lubbock!"

"Sis, how the heck did you get up there?" The redheaded boy asked, practically yelling at her.

The redhead pulled herself up a bit, feeling a bit of strain against her abdomen, until one of her bandaged hands finally took a hold of the rope. She fiddled with it for a couple of minutes, but as it turns out...she couldn't get down. **I wish I had a knife...** Akira sighed as she mentally scolded herself for her carelessness. "Just help me down. Please?" She begged her little brother.

"Don't worry sis, I'll get you down in a jiffy!" The ten year old promised. "In fact, I could get Big Sister Leone's help!" He suggested as he turned around and started running towards the direction of the hideout.

"NO, ANYONE BUT _**HER!**_ " The kickboxer yelled exasperatedly after him, her adrenaline rush returning almost ten fold as she swung around and was tugging fiercely against the rope. She then realized something. **Now, that I think about it... Maybe this is a good time to play as a damsel in distress.** "Get Handsome! HANDSOME!"

However, her brother was too far gone by now and probably didn't hear her request so it was too late...

* * *

 _ **The next day...**_ **(Third Attempt)**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room**

"You guys, it seems that they disappeared again." Lubbock announced once he arrived to give his status report. "Akira seems to be getting smarter too with each attempt. And lately, she hasn't triggered up any of my threads." He remarked.

"My, my, she's very tenacious." Najenda spoke impressed, lighting up a cigar. "It's about to be a week since the two of them have been with us. What a waste of talent..." She couldn't help but shake her head with a chuckle.

 **Quite frankly, I don't blame her...** Tatsumi thought to himself as he listened to the conversation around him.

Leone laughed. "You should've seen her yesterday! Akira was _livid!_ She definitely didn't want me to help her get down whatsoever."

"Gee, I wonder why." Bulat said sarcastically as he glared a bit towards the outlaw, who flinched a bit under his gaze.

"I just don't understand why she can't accept the fact that she has to stay here." Mine complained out loud. "It's getting quite annoying if you ask me..."

The brunette grumbled a bit. "More like you're the annoying one..."

"What was that?!" The sniper snapped at him, probably having heard his little comment.

The swordsman smiled innocently. "Oh, nothing!"

"Maybe we were mean to her in some way..." Sheele spoke out in wonder, causing the blonde to flinch yet again and she could swear that she feels the muscular man's blue-eyed gaze boring into her very soul.

"I can't believe it!" The Ex general interjected. "After how well we treated her."

Tatsumi couldn't help but sigh. **Again, I don't blame her...**

"Anyway Lubbock, do you at least have a rough idea to where Akira and Takumi might be?" Akame asked the green haired boy.

"No clue." Lubbock replied honestly. "Like I said before, she-" All of a sudden, Cross Tail's wires started to become active. He laughed a bit. "Never mind. They're close. And, knowing Akira...she's having another bad day."

 _Meanwhile..._

Lubbock was indeed right. This time the forest was their enemy yet again. Mostly for Akira, since a certain _someone_ wasn't paying attention and stumbled upon Lubbock's trigger thread, before the kickboxer could even process what was happening she ran towards her brother just in time to push him out of the way from an upcoming huge log that was suspended from above the trees. Takumi was obviously safe once again. The older sister however...had to pay the price.

The sudden impact was rather devastating for the redhead since she was hit straight on her torso, sending her body flying towards one of the forests' trees, Akira's back slamming into the tree bark. If she wasn't winded before, then she certainly was now especially since she coughed up a bit of blood as her body limply fell forward. She didn't hit the ground. Oh no, but she did fell into another pit fall... Luckily for her though, it was just a harmless deep hole this time.

"Sis, are you alright?!" Takumi practically yelled out in panic as he loomed over the pit fall's hole, looking down at his sister below. His only response was a groan. **Oh good, she's alive!** The ten year old thought with a sigh of relief. "I'm REALLY sorry! Again..." He apologized rather shakily.

 **I can't tell if he's genuinely sorry or if he's doing this on purpose. I swear, if it's the latter... He is so grounded!** Akira thought with a vengeance, if that proved to be the case anyway, in the meantime she whimpered a bit. "My aching ribs..." She managed to groan out pitifully. "I can't even feel my boobs... Wait, can you even feel your boobs?" **I'm not making any sense anymore...**

"It sounds like you're delirious." The ten year old stated from above. "Should I get Big Sister Leone again?"

Just by hearing the blonde's name this time didn't make her blood boil, but it certainly made the kickboxer give out pitiful sobs. Almost as if she was throwing in the towel, but not quite.

"It that a yes or a no?" The red headed boy asked.

The sobs got even louder by this point.

Without thinking about it, Takumi turned around and started heading towards the hideout. "Yeah, you need help."

* * *

 _ **The next day after that...**_ **(Fourth/Fifth Final Attempt)**

This week for Akira was _**DEFINITELY**_ not her week! She was constantly used as a personal punching bag and she did not know just how much she can take. As if being covered in Poison Ivy wasn't bad enough... The insistent sudden rash is enough to make anyone crazy. Just _trying_ to resist the urge to scratch was torture!

How did this happened? Takumi all of a sudden needed to take a dump, but he heads towards the wrong bush... Akira rushes towards him and quickly guided him towards a safer one, but in the process she accidentally brushed up against a Poison Ivy bush. Yeah...

To top it all off, the ten year old had the _nerve_ to say, "I can't believe I didn't get hit with any of those stuff..."

 **Patience, Akira. Patience. It will ALL be worth it once we make it into town!** The redhead mentally reminded herself, pushing down her anger for the time being. However, that still didn't stop her from being bossy. "Shut up and keep scratching my back, klutzy boy!"

Regardless, the kickboxer pushed through with Takumi, who she was giving a piggy back ride as to make sure the boy didn't stumble with _**anything**_ else, and so eventually they make it into town.

 _ **FINALLY!**_

And as soon as the siblings got there, a random citizen approaches them out of concern considering that Akira looked like crap.

"Excuse me miss, are you alright?" The man asked her.

Before responding to him however, the redhead took a moment to look around at her surroundings and the buildings, just mentally making a note to herself to make sure that it was all real.

"Finally! Civilization!" The kickboxer practically cried out in joy, laughing a bit before catching the man's shoulders with her bandaged hands. "L-Listen, you've GOT to help me! My brother and I have been-"

But before she could even go further...

"THERE YOU ARE~!" A familiar voice called out to them. _It was_ _rough, high-pitched, and yet it had an adorable squeak to it._

 **Oh no...** Akira closed her eyes in disbelief, she could feel a pitiful sob part two coming on. **It just HAD to be her of all people!**

Leone herself suddenly appears out of nowhere, approaching the siblings and the first thing she does is hug the older sibling from behind. Akira's skin crawled with goosebumps. Just having the blonde's breasts being pressed up against her back was admittedly enjoyable but also weird. The redhead just groaned in embarrassment all the while.

The outlaw merely laughed at the reaction she'd just received. "I've been looking all over for you two!"

"Do you...know them?" The civilian asked a bit confused, they seem to know each other from the looks of it but judging by the kickboxer's body language, she seems to want to be anywhere but here and so the man was at a loss.

"Oh, for the love of-" Akira rolled her eyes in annoyance. "As I was saying earlier, my brother and I have been-"

"Oh, yes! Thank you for finding them!" The lion shifter interrupted her friend by putting her hand over the redhead's mouth, muffling her crazy claims. Leone spoke rather gratefully and began to convince the man. "My friend Akira is merely starving and exhausted from our camping trip in the mountains. The last couple of days haven't been so great to her and because of that she's not feeling well..."

The stranger seemed to look sympathetic at the kickboxer. "Oh, my... You poor thing."

 **If Blondie thinks that she can get away with this, then she has another thing coming! I'm SO close to getting out of this mess!** Akira thought exasperatedly as she tried to remove Leone's hand from her mouth, but it wouldn't budge. **Alright then... How about this?!**

The outlaw not only shivered but her golden eyes widen in surprise for a bit as she felt a weird wet sensation against the palm of her hand, but regardless the blonde managed to keep herself composed as she continued to convince the citizen. **Is she licking me? How kinky.** She thought to herself with a small laugh.

 **She reacted, but not in the way I had hoped... Dammit!** The kickboxer was really grasping at straws here. And at this point she did everything she could think of, anything to get her out of the blonde's grasp by stepping on her booted feet, pulling at her long bangs, elbowing her ribs, trying to tickle her _**fucking**_ sides! And Leone HAD YET to release her. **Son of a bitch! What is this woman made out of?!**

All of a sudden, it was over all too soon as Akira purposely got gagged with her blue bandana and her head was instantly covered up with her hood and tightened by her hoodie's strings. She then was lifted up and over, secured on Leone's shoulder as she was being carried away. "Thanks again for finding them, sir! Let's go, Takumi~!"

"C-Coming!" The redheaded boy, who was merely staring and silent the entire time, finally moved and followed the blonde woman home.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Outside Forest**

"Would you _**PLEASE**_ calm down?!" Leone spoke out irritably, currently in Lionelle's Beast form as to make sure they don't get attacked by any Danger Beasts, but that task was kind of proving to be difficult even for her seeing as Akira kept struggling over her shoulder. "I promise when we get back I'll put you down, if you behave."

"Oh, I'll calm down...after I am out of this damned corrupted Capital!" The kickboxer practically exploded in anger, getting agitated by the second seeing as Leone's lion tail kept swishing against her nose, almost as if taunting her.

"And go where?" Takumi asked his sister, genuinely curious since he's never been out of the Capital.

The redhead growled in frustration. "ANYWHERE BUT HERE!"

"God, and here I thought that Mine was a firecracker..." Leone couldn't help but comment, causing the young boy beside her to laugh. "Seriously though, do you hate us that much?" The outlaw asked rather quietly, but loud enough for both siblings to hear.

The moment the blonde asked her question, Akira stopped struggling. "What do you mean?"

"It's just... It seems like you're not happy, that's all. I mean, I understand your predicament, but the others and I are really trying our best to make sure you're safe, comfortable, and most of all give you a place to call home." The lion shifter admitted to her. "Maybe we can't be family to you, but I was hoping that we could at least be friends..."

"I don't hate you or the others, and that's putting it mildly." The kickboxer confessed, surprising the lioness with her answer. "But~! There is one exception to that category and that's Handsome!" She spoke out giddily for the first time this week, having a goofy grin on her face.

 **Why am I not surprised?** Leone thought with small grin as she shook her head, before a frown ultimately settled on her face. **But since we're on the subject...** "Akira, listen. T-There's something I've got to tell you about Bulat..."

The redhead's azure eyes light up in delight, squealing like a girly-girl for emphasis. "More details about my man crush! What's not to love?!"

Takumi rolled his eyes as he stopped walking. "Oh brother..."

"That's the thing though," The blonde took a deep breath as she stopped walking as well and so Leone decided to get it over with. "Bulat is actually...gay."

Silence settled between them for a moment, the only sounds coming from the rustling trees due to the wind. It was suffocating and the quiet was slowly evidently killing Leone on the inside, desperate to know Akira's reaction. The outlaw was so nervous that she began to swish her tail again as she waited.

The action seemed to work seeing as her lion tail brushed up against the kickboxer's nose, tickling it and so Akira laughed a bit. "I'm sorry, I think I must've misheard you... Did you say gaga?"

The lion shifter sighed, she knew it would be like this. "No sweetheart, I'm serious. Bulat is gay. As in, he LOVES men!" She went all out this time. "When the two of you met the first time, I didn't even bother telling you because you were so smitten with him, and so I thought that I could...you know, pull a little joke on you..."

Silence fell between them yet again.

This time for sure Leone groaned. "Come on, at least give me SOMETHING! Do you forgive me or do you hate me?"

 **Sometimes, reality really stinks...** Akira thought in dismay, ultimately heartbroken as she looked up to the orange skies above them, it was about to be evening soon. She then felt soft fine fur brush up against her chin. **If Blondie wants a reaction out of me then...**

Leone let out a wail of pain as her lion tail got bitten by a frustrated Akira.

* * *

 **A/N2: Whelp, that's the entirety of chapter 4 folks! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! Next chapter, Leone receives the cold shoulder treatment from Akira among other things... Until next time! :D**


	5. Kill the Bimbo

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Kill the Bimbo**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Kitchen**

It was early evening by the time Leone dropped off the siblings at the hideout. The blonde evidently couldn't stick around because Najenda sent her out on a mission and so she won't be back 'till later, which was a small miracle of sorts seeing as the outlaw is in hot water with a certain redhead. Takumi went to the play room and planned to stay there until dinner time. And finally, Akira herself decided to head into the kitchen and kill some time.

The kickboxer wanted to keep herself busy and let off some steam, she figured that she could head to the training field and train until her muscles screamed at her to stop but that's not what she is looking for at the moment. It seemed reasonable enough sure, but ultimately it would not be satisfying seeing as the appropriate punching bag was not present at the moment... Not that Leone would volunteer herself willingly for obvious reasons. And so, Akira decided to busy herself by cooking dinner for Takumi and the others.

"Yo, Akame!" The redhead called out to the raven the moment she entered the vicinity, her hand extended as if silently demanding for the girl's apron. "I want you to switch with me."

Akame didn't seem bothered by the sudden order. "What are you going to make?"

"It's a surprise." The kickboxer gave a curt response.

The sword master merely shrugged her shoulders as she willingly handed her apron over to the newcomer. "Will you at the very least prepare enough for seconds?" She asked, almost like a plea.

"Yes, I promise that you'll love the dish. And yes, there will be enough for seconds." Akira couldn't help but chuckle.

Akame smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. If you need anything, Tatsumi will be sure to help you."

The redhead looked surprised. "Oh? Is he here?"

"No, but he'll be here soon. Tatsumi is usually my assistant." The raven responded casually. She then started to leave. "I guess I'll head out on patrol with Lubbock. See you later."

"Be careful." The kickboxer practically yelled out as she put on Akame's pink apron, she then stopped as she registered what just came out of her mouth. **Wait a minute... Why did I just say that? I said, "Be careful." to an assassin! God, what is wrong with me?!** Akira thought exasperatedly as she tied her hair up in a loose ponytail. **Whatever. Shake it off girl! You need to get dinner started.**

Not long in having taken out the main ingredients for dinner, Tatsumi had finally arrived.

"Akame, I am so sorry for the wait! I was playing around with Takumi and must've lost track of time-" The brunette finally looked up after tying on his own apron. "Akira? Well, that's a surprise. Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but... Where's Akame?" He asked.

"She's out patrolling with Lubbock. I asked her to switch with me." Akira replied, washing off some of the vegetables in the sink.

The swordsman nodded in understanding, heading over to stand beside her. "So, um... What are we making?"

"Kimchi."

"Kimchi?" Tatsumi looked surprised by her answer, almost looking as if he was about to cry in joy. "As in, we don't have to eat an all-meat dish tonight?" He asked while having the biggest goofiest grin Akira has ever seen.

Even the redhead had to admit that his reaction was rather adorable, and so she laughed. "Yes. No meat, but we'll be having seafood."

"Now that I think about it... I don't think I've ever learned to make Kimchi." The brunette spoke out loud in thought, putting a hand on his chin in emphasis. "Isn't that dish usually spicy?"

"It can be, but there are many different varieties of Kimchi so it doesn't necessarily need to be spicy." The kickboxer responded.

The swordsman nodded in understanding. "So, are we just making one kind of Kimchi or-"

"Ten varieties."

"T-TEN?!" Tatsumi gasped in shock, at this rate he'll never get out of the kitchen.

"A different kind of Kimchi for each of us." Akira simplified for him. "We're all essentially eating the same dish, but different flavor. Not to mention, we need to make a little bit of extra for Akame."

"Oh. That makes more sense..." The brunette laughed a bit shakily in embarrassment, a faint pink blush rising up his cheeks.

The redhead smiled. "Seriously Tatsumi, you need to let others finish off their sentences."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." The swordsman remarked.

For the next hour or so Akira cooked alongside Tatsumi, teaching the boy everything he needed to know on how to cook the dish properly, and by this rate they've already prepared nine specialty plates and they just had to make one more. Once Tatsumi got the hang of things the both of them settled into a conversation.

"So Akira, I've meant to ask you something..." The brunette started off.

"Depends on the question, but I shall answer." Akira told him straight out as she cut a couple of white radishes, before adding them to the steaming pot beside her.

The swordsman thought about it for a moment before he found what he had hoped to be the right words. "Well, I was talking to Bro the other day and he seemed a bit...angry." He said for a lack of a better word.

The redhead hummed as a confirmation that she was listening to him as she continued with her task. "How so?"

"Let's see... Lately, he's been grumbling about something and it most likely has something to do with Sis." Tatsumi told her as he continued on, not noticing how Akira's grip on the butcher knife tightened as she cut the vegetables with a little too much vigor. "The point is Bro keeps saying things like, _"Leone, you're terrible..."_ or _"Playing with a girl's feelings like that."_ and finally, _"That so called little joke wasn't funny whatsoever."_. So, I was wondering if you knew anything about that. Do you?"

" _ **Nope.**_ " The kickboxer answered him with a low growl of sorts, but he didn't seem to catch on the hostility within her answer.

"Oh, really? I thought you knew something since you've been kind of hanging out with Leone, even though it's practically against your will, but I thought that you would know something." The brunette spoke honestly.

Akira added a couple of more cut vegetables onto the steaming pot in the stove and then she began to add the spices. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be of help."

"It's okay." The swordsman reassured her. "I guess I just kind of find it to be weird that Sis has been constantly flinching whenever Bro so much as glares at her..."

 **Serves her right!** The redhead thought bitterly, starting to add chili powder. **That's what she gets for messing around with me with all the teasing, the heartache, and overall just being nosy and on _MY PERSONAL SPACE!_** She then suddenly gasped, catching Tatsumi's attention. "Oh crap!" **No, no, wait. This is good. This is _very_ good...**

Sometime later, Takumi and the other Night Raid members had gathered in the kitchen in time for dinner. Tatsumi settled for getting everyone's drinks while Akira did the last minute preparations for the side dishes. Soon enough, the brunette also sat down on his seat.

Everyone was just chatting among themselves before the redhead finally arrived towards the dining table, holding a huge tray between her right hand and shoulder. "Order up! Stop whatever you're doing. I won't allow any distractions while you're munching on our grub!" She announced as she winked and smiled a bit towards Tatsumi's direction, a silent thanks for helping her out, and she then settled the tray on the table.

The kickboxer aimed specific glares at two people.

"By the way, that also includes **_cigars..._** " Akira headed towards Najenda and snatched away her cigarette, disposing it in the kitchen. The Ex military woman looked beyond irritated seeing as she didn't get to finish her smoke, but didn't complain out loud since her face practically did all the talking for her mood. The redhead then returned and harshly dipped Leone's chair back, causing the outlaw to unceremoniously fall on the floor." ** _And booted feet!_** "

"Well, _somebody_ is certainly being rude tonight..." The blonde dared to comment with a groan, pulling herself up and seating correctly in her seat.

The kickboxer merely glared at her. "Says the Blondie who's putting her feet on the dining table when you're about to eat!" She retorted hotly in response, countering her.

The lion shifter was about to argue back until a certain someone's stomach growled throughout the entire room, startling everyone.

"I'm hung~gry...!" Akame bemoaned for the umpteenth time this evening as she held her stomach, leaning forward in her seat while resting her chin against the wooden surface of the dining table.

"It seems that we will have to argue later seeing as my best friend is starving and I won't be responsible by her death of starvation." Leone told the redhead, crossing her arms. "Truce?"

"Now, you're just making an excuse!" Akira then noticed Akame's insistent drooling, which dribbled out of her mouth to her chin and onto the table in front of her, Tatsumi was constantly trying to wipe her drool off her face with countless napkins but obviously his efforts seemed pointless. "Dear Lord, we're going to have a flood at this rate... Fine! Truce."

 **Damn, Akame must be really hungry.** Akira thought mildly in surprise as she started to lay out the designated plate in front of each person along with their side of rice or noodles.

"Takumi."

The redheaded boy was presented with Baek-kimchi. **Baek-kimchi** or **W** **hite Kimchi** is a variety of Kimchi made without the chili pepper powder commonly used for fermenting Kimchi in Korean cuisine. Baek-kimchi has a mild and clean flavor, which appeals to children and the elderly, to whom the regular Kimchi might be too spicy. Baek-kimchi consists of salted napa cabbage, radish, _minari_ , spring onions, Korean pear, chestnuts, jujube, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and a little bit of chili threads as garnish.

"Thanks sis!" Takumi spoke out gratefully with a grin.

"You're welcome! Next, Sheele."

The lilac haired assassin was served with Baechu-kimchi. **Baechu-kimchi** , translated as **Cabbage Kimchi** or simply **Kimchi**. Baechu-kimchi is made by fermenting salted napa cabbages with Korean radish, aromatic vegetables, _jeotgal_ (salted seafood), _gochugaru_ (chili powder) and various seasonings. Northern varieties are milder and soupier. Southern varieties are saltier and more pungent.

Sheele gave a shy smile in gratitude. "T-Thank you very much."

"Mine."

The sniper was given Dongchimi. **Dongchimi** is a variety of Kimchi consisting of Korean radish, napa cabbage, scallions, pickled green chilli, ginger, Korean pear and watery brine in Korean cuisine. As the name _D_ _ong_ (literally means "Winter") and _c_ _himi_ (an ancient term for Kimchi), suggests this Kimchi is traditionally consumed during the winter season, although it can also be made at any time of the year. Dongchimi is fermented like other varieties of Kimchi, but its maturing period is relatively short (2–3 days).

Mine almost didn't even bat an eyelash, trying to look like she wasn't impressed by the meal. "Thanks."

"Followed by, Lubbock." Akira merely ignored the look let alone the thanks she received from the pinklette and continued onward.

The wired tactician is granted with Yeolmu-kimchi. **Yeolmu-kimchi** or **Young Summer Radish Kimchi** is another popular Korean side dish. Although young summer radish has small and thin taproots that do not have much use, its thick and abundant green leaves are constantly used throughout spring and summer to make Yeolmu-kimchi. Yeolmu-kimchi is popular in the summer and is often eaten with cold noodles.

"No meat...?" Lubbock looked like he was exposed to something _rare_ and looked as if he was going to start crying, his reaction being similar to Tatsumi's from earlier. "I shall cherish every bite! Thank you so much!" He practically cried in joy.

The redhead merely laughed at his reaction before moving on. "Boss."

Najenda was presented with Nabak-kimchi. **Nabak-kimchi** is a watery Kimchi, similar to **Dongchimi** in Korean cuisine. It is made of thinly sliced Korean radish and napa cabbage into a rectangular shape as main ingredients and salted them with mixed vegetables and spices such as cucumber, scallions, water dropwort (called _minari_ in Korean), garlic, ginger, red chilies, chili pepper powder, sugar, salt, and water.

 **Nabak-Kimchi** looks similar to **Dongchimi** in form but is commonly consumed during spring and summer, whereas **Dongchimi** is most commonly eaten in winter. Besides, chili pepper powders is added to make **Nabak-Kimchi** and makes the Kimchi color a rose pink unlike the white colored **D** **ongchimi**. The term _n_ _abak_ originated from _nabaknabak_ , which is an adverb in the Korean language and means "Making flattened or slicing thinly".

"Now, I wasn't sure on how to prepare your dish at first until I've asked Tatsumi." The kickboxer admitted. "And he just told me to, _"Watch out for your femininity"_."

The Ex military woman merely chuckled in response as she gave the swordsman a side glance, who sheepishly smiled while trying not to blush in embarrassment. "Smart boy."

"Anyway, next we have Hand-" Akira snorted, catching herself before sniffling a bit while gathering her bearings. "I mean, Bulat." She corrected herself. "Next is Bulat."

The veteran was given Pa-Kimchi, which was in the form of a pancake. **Pa-kimchi** , also known as **Green Onion Kimchi** or **Scallion Kimchi** , is one of types of Kimchi that Koreans usually eat for traditional side dishes. Pa-kimchi uses medium thick green onions known as _jjokpa_ , which are fermented to maturity in powdered red pepper _gochutgaru_ , garlic, ginger and seasoned with lots of myeolchi jeot (salted anchovies). It is known for its hot spicy taste. Green onions with large white sections is appropriate in making different kinds of Kimchi due to their high sweetness.

Among over 100 different kinds of Kimchi in Korea, Pa-kimchi is considered to be the easiest recipe to make. Also, it becomes flavorful when it is ripened. South Koreans also add either fermented anchovies or fermented brine shrimp ( _saeujeot_ ), depending on the region. This is similar to other parts of Asia such as the Chinese using fish sauce to enhance the taste of their food. Another variation of Pa-kimchi is in the form of a pancake in which you simply need to have a portion of Pa-kimchi, eggs, flour, and squid.

Bulat gave her a sympathetic and yet a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The redhead returned the gesture, smiling as well. "Next, is my assistant Tatsumi. And it's going to taste a lot better since you've made it all by yourself!" She praised him as she set his meal in front of him.

"Well, I had a great teacher." Tatsumi grinned.

The brunette's dish was Kkakdugi. **Kkakdugi** or **Diced Radish Kimchi** usually it has all the ingredients of Kimchi, but the nappa cabbage used for Kimchi is replaced with Korean radish. **Kkakdugi** is a popular side dish enjoyed by Koreans and others.

"Akame, Tatsumi and I took the liberty to add meat on yours since well..." The kickboxer tried to think of a better word, but couldn't seem to find one. "You're a special case."

The raven was presented with a variation of Kkakdugi called Gul Kkakdugi with a side of beef soup.

 **Gul kkakdugi** is a variety of **Kkakdugi** that is flavored with whole raw oysters. It is made especially in winter around Korean New Year. _Saeujeot_ (salted preserved shrimp) and water dropwort leaves, along with other spices, are used for making this. Because of the use of oysters, **Gul Kkakdugi** has a comparatively short shelf life compared to other types of **Kkakdugi**. Korean soups such as _seolleongtang_ (beef soup), _galbitang_ (beef rib soup), _samgyetang_ (chicken soup) are considered "good friends" for **Kkakdugi**. The taste of the **Kkakdugi** overpowers the taste of stew itself and gets rid of the distinctive smell of the stew. Additionally, radish is very good for digestion. When eating meat in stew, **Kkakdugi** is believed to aid in digestion.

"Thank you for the meal. By the way, did you make enough for seconds?" Akame asked her.

Akira chuckled. "Of course, you can help yourself since there's plenty." She then took a deep breath and began to address the final person among the group... And with a flat un-enthusiastic voice, she spoke. " _And finally, Blondie._ "

 **I suddenly don't like the way she is referring to me...** Leone thought apprehensively to herself, somehow sensing that this wasn't going to go well.

The blonde was then presented with Chonggakkimchi. **Chonggakkimchi** is a type of Kimchi made by marinating salted whole, vertically halved, or quartered chonggak radishes without removing the leaves and stems. The seasoning can be made by boiling glutinous rice powder in water, cooling it, and mixing in the pureed mixture of red chilli, scallions, pear, onion, garlic, ginger, aekjeot, gochutgaru (chilli powder), maesilcheong (plum syrup), and salt.

"I hope you all enjoy!" The redhead told them as she headed to the kitchen to serve her own meal.

Sometime later everyone by this point had finished off their meals, thanked the chefs, and started to retire for the night. Well, everyone finished except for Leone, who was certainly having a bit of a hard time finishing off her plate... She was half-way through admittedly, but she was still struggling. Aside from her, Tatsumi and Akira were the only other people there seeing as they had to clean up.

 **Damn, I know that Kimchi is spicy but... It almost feels like it's TOO MUCH!** The blonde thought in disbelief, impossibly red in the face. Part of it was because of the meal and part of it was because she was drinking sake and even then the alcohol wasn't helping her out much. It helped to alleviate the spiceness and numb up her senses just like any other day, but that's about it. She then went to lift up her glass, only to find it empty. **Great, what does an outlaw have to do in order to get a drink around here?**

The lion shifter then tapped Tatsumi on the shoulder, catching his attention. "Yo. Are you planning to leave me dry? I'm empty!"

The brunette merely chuckled, reaching out for the sake bottle on the table. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya Sis."

"Good boy!" Leone praised him with a grin. Her grin proved to be short lived however seeing as the sake bottle Tatsumi had was empty as well by this point. "You HAVE GOT to kidding me?!"

"It's okay Sis, I can just go to the kitchen and get some more." The swordsman told her, starting to get up from his seat.

"No, Tatsumi..." Akira spoke out stopping the boy. "I'll do it." She voluntereed herself, already heading towards the kitchen.

The blonde gaped at the sudden change of events. "Oh, you're being _nice_ now!"

"Oh, because I'm _totally_ not capable of being _nice._ " The redhead retorted sarcastically, rummaging at the cooler.

Admittedly, on the inside, Akira felt bad for going a tad bit overboard with the chili powder earlier... Which is why, she willingly got up instead of Tatsumi to make it up to Leone. Though obviously, she won't ever admit it out loud let alone apologize. The outlaw did deserve it for giving Akira heartache ealier with her so called little joke.

"Whatever." The lion shifter remarked dismissively. "Hey, would you hurry up? My mouth is on fire over here!" She said in a rather huffy tone, urging the kickboxer to hurry up.

 **You could've asked nicely, you know.** Akira thought irritably, feeling one of her eyebrows twitch. Then an idea came to mind, fiddling a bit with some of the cabinets in the kitchen and her azure eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for. **I guess I'll have to teach you some manners...** The redhead then returned and started pouring some sake onto Leone's glass. "There. Are you happy now?"

"Very. Thanks sweetheart!" Leone flashed her a smile as she chugged her glass, or at least that's what she WANTED to do anyway seeing as instead of registrating the burn of alcohol...she tasted something else. It made her gag and that's what Leone did, accidently spitting out the contents of her 'drink' on Tatsumi's shoes and some parts of his jeans. "WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TASTE?!"

"What is WRONG with you Sis?!" The brunette practically yelled out in disgust, heading out of the room to find the nearest washroom to take a shower. "It couldn't be on the floor or the table, but **_NO~_** it just HAD to be me!"

"I'm sorry Tatsumi!" The blonde frantically apologized to him, yelling after him as he left. "It's just, I didn't taste sake and I KNOW sake, but instead it tasted like, like..." She couldn't describe it and so she bemoaned in horror. "I don't know man, but it definitely tasted sour in my mouth and I **_ALMOST_** swallowed it...!"

All of a sudden a loud, geniuine, laugh filled the kitchen. It came from a certain redhead. She was laughing so hard to the point where she was actually holding her sides, tears coming out of her eyes for emphazis. Akira's laugh was so infectuous and if Leone didn't know any better it was the most cutest laugh she has ever heard, but right now the outlaw wasn't in the mood to neither laugh alongside her nor coo at the sudden change of events...

If anything, it made her blood boil. And it certainly didn't take her very long to put two and two together. The lion shifter growled in displeasure as she slowly rose up from her seat and started making her way towards the still laughing kickboxer. If there was one thing she truly hates in this world aside from maniacal, evil, bastards...it's surprises. Leone **DESPICES** them! It was not _once,_ nor **_twice,_** but **_THRICE_** in one evening! And so, without warning...

"LIONELLE TRANSFORM!"

As soon as those words rang in the air, Akira stopped laughing and finally looked up to be face-to-face with a very pissed off lioness. "Oh, shit..."

"Shit is right! And, it looks like you've struck out sweetheart..." The blonde, who was now in Beast form, lamented to inform as she began to crack her furry knuckles. Her lion ears flattened back and tail swishing irritably. "A word of advice: I'm all up for surprises, but...I really **_HATE_** it when they happen to me!"

 **How does that work? I understand surprise attacks and pranks, but... Does that include surprise parties and surprising news?** Akira briefly wondered to herself, before quickly shaking her head. **Enough of that, I need to think of a way to save my own skin here!** "Oh, come on Blondie! It was just a joke." She spoke rather casually with a smirk, and she then realized her rather interesting words that she shouldn't have spoken. "Damn it..."

"A joke? A JOKE?!" Leone was _livid!_ Her angry growls coming out similar to a lion's."Look, I understand you suddenly biting my tail earlier but this...this is not okay! Messing with my dinner is one thing, but nobody and I do mean **_nobody_** messes around with **_MY_** sake and gets away with it! What the heck did you even replace it with?!"

"Vinegar..." The redhead managed to squeak out, slowly taking a couple of steps back from the outlaw.

Before Akira knew what was going on the lion shifter lunged at her, tackling the kickboxer to the ground. They rolled a couple of times before Leone tried to pin her, but Akira used her knee to toss the blonde over and she quickly managed to scramble to her feet. The redhead headed towards the island by the kitchen's side while the oulaw simply growled and glared at her from the other side facing the dining room. It was cat and mouse now.

"You wouldn't kill me right, Blondie? You do know that I have a little brother to take care of, right?" Akira asked rather shakily, if she wasn't scared before then she certainly was now. "Come on now, be reasonable!"

Leone merely smirked in response. "I think Takumi would appreciate a new, cool, attractive, older sister from now on. What do you think?"

" _You wouldn't._ " The redhead practically snarled at her.

"Oh, I dare!"

And so the lion shifter charged, jumping over the island and into the kitchen, only for the kickboxer to be just as fast as she made a quick beeline for the dining room. The mouse proved to be resilient, but the cat prevailed seeing Leone tackled her yet again. They wrestled for quite a bit, shouting war cries as they continued to roll around to see who would pin the other. Until...

Akira's azure eyes widen as she felt soft lips against her own. It seemed that Leone successfully managed to pin her this time, but with all the movement the blonde put a tad bit too much effort in trying to pin the redhead down that they accidently kissed one another. The outlaw broke the kiss as she backed away, as far as possible until her back hit against the island, seemingly startled herself and red in the face. Akira herself had yet to move from her spot on the floor, but when she did she sat up and gave a look of utter shock. Almost as if she couldn't believe what had just happened...

Neither girl said anything until the silence became too much for Leone to handle because she just HAD to say something.

"Whoops..."

* * *

 **A/N2: Well, that certainly became a thing. Anyway, that's the entirety of chapter 5 folks! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews, any support at all would be wonderful and appreciated!**

 **Also, if any of you are interested, I am planning to do a couple of Akame Ga Kill projects in the near future. Once I am done with this one of course, but I wanted to give you guys a heads up to more projects like these on my profile page. The information/brief summaries of what I have in mind is all there. Until next time! ;)**


	6. Kill the Decision

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Kill the Decision**

 _ **Night Raid Hideout, Kitchen (Last Night)**_

 _The outlaw broke the kiss as she backed away, as far away as possible until her back hit against the island, seemingly startled herself and red in the face. Akira herself had yet to move from her spot on the floor, but when she did she sat up and gave a look of utter shock, almost as if she couldn't believe what had just happened..._

 _Neither girl said anything until the silence became too much for Leone to handle because she just HAD to say something._

" _Whoops..."_

" _Whoops is right! You've just kissed me!" Akira snapped at her._

" _Oh please!" Leone rolled her eyes in annoyance as she sat cross-legged, crossing her arms in irritation. "It was an accident and you know it!"_

 _Both girls simply glared at one another before the redhead let out a groan, looking off to the side and facing away from the blonde._

" _So, I'm assuming that this isn't the first time you've kissed someone?" The outlaw asked out of curiously, almost out of the blue, her lion tail swishing as she tried to make conversation._

" _No..." The kickboxer gave a curt response. "Why do you ask?"_

" _Nothing~! I just took notice that you're not THAT mad is all." The lion shifter stated, a slight blush rising up her cheeks._

" _I'm not going to get wound up over a kiss." Akira sighed. "Even if it was with another girl..." She added rather quietly, but with a flick of her lion ears the blonde managed to hear her._

 _ **There seems to be a story there.** Leone thought to herself, but she didn't push the subject. "Well, if anything you were certainly wound up earlier."_

 _The redhead faced the blonde again. "Oh, and you weren't?"_

 _Both girls had a stare off for a moment before they both bursted into laughter._

" _Wow." The outlaw breathed. "I guess we did kind of get out of hand, huh?"_

" _Maybe a little." The kickboxer replied with a smile._

 _The lion shifter looked flabbergasted. "A little? You were really letting me have it this evening!"_

" _I personally found it funny." Akira replied honestly._

" _There was nothing funny about it!" Leone growled in displeasure._

" _Oh no?" The redhead looked amused. "Just like how YOU found it to be funny when you were messing around with my feelings towards Bulat, who by the way, I was making unintentionally uncomfortable because_ someone _didn't even bother to tell me that he was actually gay." She countered. "It doesn't feel so good now does it?"_

 _The blonde promptly shutted up._

" _Remember when you said,_ "I ALWAYS get what I want." _? Well, I meant it when I responded with_ life doesn't work that way _. You think just because you're at the top of the world that you can get whatever you want or mess around with people however you please. That's just Greed." The kickboxer told her straight out and when the outlaw looked like she was about to speak up, Akira cut her off. "And I'm sorry to break it to you, especially since we barely know each other, but you're not going to have it your way when it involves me. **Think about it.** "_

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Leone's Room**

As Leone tossed and turned on her bed throughout the night, Akira's words kept echoing in her mind.

 **Am I really greedy?** The lion shifter wondered to herself. She wasn't greedy, at the very least **_she_** herself didn't think so. The redhead was just being unreasonable. Leone growled and rolled over once more. **Why does it bother me so much?**

Okay...maybe she was just a _little_ greedy.

The outlaw always having her way and ultimately getting what she wants regardless of the circumstances. She does gamble a lot, borrowing lots of money from her teammates more often than not, without paying them back might I add. And at times, whenever Najenda sent her out to met up with a client, Leone would sometimes gamble the payment away. Not to mention the amount of scams she did with other men to swindle them out of their money with fake promises of whatever ambitions and desires the poor fools had in mind, Tatsumi included when he first arrived at the Capital.

There were also some nights in where the blonde would sneak in her boss' room and steal from her stash of alcohol... Heck, she even had her way when she first got Lionelle, charming the old man with sweet talks and her looks was enough to practically get the Teigu for free. Though at the time, Leone will excuse herself on that one seeing as she didn't even know that she was in possesion of a legendary weapon in the first place.

"Damn it!" The lion shifter yelled out displeased, knowing deep down that Akira was indeed right about her. "Okay, okay, so I'm not perfect! I get it!"

Nobody was perfect. Leone knew that, and she also knows that Akira isn't perfect either. It was just a matter of _proving_ it.

 **You won't be getting the last word, Akira. I won't let you.** The outlaw thought in determination.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room/Outside Forest**

"Miss Najenda!" Lubbock exclaimed in alarm as he barged through the double doors, looking out of breath. "There are intruders in the area!"

"What are their numbers and locations?" The Ex general asked out calmly, assesing the situation.

The wired technitian gathered his composure. "According to the reaction of my barrier, it's probably eight people!" He stated. "They've all infiltrated close to the hideout!"

"They're good. To sniff out this place means... They're probably mercenaries from another place. There's no other way." Najenda deduced out loud, lighting a cigar. She then looked up to adress the others. "It's an emergency sortie. _**Don't let any of them return alive.**_ " She ordered.

The Night Raid members didn't even needed to be told twice as they dispersed to take care of the problem.

It didn't take long for any of them to get rid off the intruders. On Leone's side anyway. The blonde sat on top of the corpse of the former mercenary, looking satisfied at her recent kill.

Leone's lion ears flicked at the sound of one of Pumpkin's blasts. "I don't know how Mine can handle such a bothersome Teigu..." She then grinned as she clenched and cracked her knuckles. "On that topic, my Teigu is much more easy to understand."

If there was anything she loved more in this world, it would have to be getting into fights in her Beast form. Leone almost couldn't explain it but she loved the feel of the rush she would get when she activates Lionelle, it was as if all of her insticts were telling her to roam around and beat on anything that would stand in her way, she might as well as take on the whole world if she wanted to.

There was a sudden breeze and her tail began to swish irritably. Something wasn't right...

The lion shifter sniffed the air, catching two familiar scents coming from deep within the forest. "Oh no..."

* * *

Her sixth escape attempt did not go so well. Akira figured since the rest of Night Raid had to deal with the intruders, she thought that she would have enough time to escape along with Takumi and so she took this opportunity to slip away through the commotion. However, things aren't always easy. They never are...

 **You have got to be kidding me...!** Akira thought irritably as she heard a low whistle and then a voice.

The siblings dared to turn around, and they were met with a couple of mercenaries.

"Hey Red!" The leader of this small group spoke up. "Wanna hang out with us?"

The redhead ignored him and quietly urged Takumi to keep moving, however a strong hand on her shoulder stopped them from doing so.

"Ignoring me now, are we? Come on, don't be like that. We just want to talk."

The kickboxer merely responded with a swift left hook, effectively giving the man a shiner. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the mercenary to let up on his grip, if anything that made him angry. The man growled and smacked Akira across the face. "You bitch!"

"Let me go!" Akira yelled, desperately trying to escape his grasp.

Takumi got near them. "Sis!"

"Get a hold of the brat!" The leader commanded.

One of the mercenaries laid his hands on Takumi and the redhead saw nothing but red, struggling ten times worse than before. Rough, strong arms grasped around her waist and a flash of metal speeds through the air and a sword hilt strikes Akira across the temple. Blood pours down her face and the world grows dark at the edges of her vision as Akira's knees gave out on her.

The redhead then was rolled onto her back as the man loomed over her and immediately his hands go to her throat, trying to suffocate her. Akira tried to scream but found that she couldn't take in enough breath to make a noise. She raised her hands, pulling and clawing at the hands on her throat but she soon realized that oxygen was becoming a necessity.

 **I-I can't...** The kickboxer thought in panic, trying her best to stay consious and bring as much breath into her lungs as possible. **I...I need to stay awake...!**

Before Akira knew what was happening, she could've sworn she saw a flash of blonde come through at full speed as she gave a direct kick to the right side of the leader's face, effectively snapping his neck by the force of the attack as his grip loosened around Akira's throat and his body was flown a couple of feet away. The redhead gasped and had a slight coughing fit, soothing her throat with a bandaged hand as she tried to regain her breath.

Looking satisfied that the kickboxer was alright, Leone turned her attention to the last two mercenaries, who were still keeping Takumi hostage.

"S-She just killed the boss..." The mercenary grunt holding Takumi spoke rather shakily, not liking the sudden change in events.

The other grunt looked beyond displeased. "You bitch! You're going to pay for that!"

"I'm sorry to break it to ya fellas, but you are tresspassing into dangerous territory..." The lion shifter lamented to inform them, cracking her furry knuckles. "And unfortunately for you, it's my job to take out the trash!"

The mercenary growled, taking out his sword from its sheath and got into a battle stance. "We like to see you try!"

A yelp rang out as the other grunt was trying to pry off Takumi, who bit his forearm hard enough to draw out blood, and the commotion successfully managed to catch the other man's attention. That was all the opportunity Leone needed. And so, the outlaw lunged forward with her claws extended towards the two mercenaries. She managed to slit the swordman's throat with a swift slash and she then turned towards Takumi's captor and grabbed a hold of the man's neck, her strength making him realease the the ten year old.

And finally...it was all over in an instant with a strong decisive grip, strangulating the poor bastard until his body went limp. The blonde sighed as she released the corpse and turned around to look at the siblings. Takumi was by his older sister's side, helping her up to her feet.

Admittedly on the inside, Leone was relieved that they were safe. However, she couldn't help but be pissed off... "You guys okay?"

"Yep!" The redheaded boy answered her with a huge grin. "You were awesome Big Sister Leone!"

"Thank you for saving us. I owe you one." Akira thanked her with a smile of her own.

The lioness returned the smile, if only briefly. "I see that you were trying to run away. Again..."

"Well, you see..." The kickboxer was trying to come up with an explanation, but Leone cut her off.

"Will you ever quit?" The outlaw spoke up exasperately, growling as her lion ears flattened back and her tail swished irritably. "Are you TRYING to get yourself and Takumi killed?! Do you have a death wish?"

"Of course not! I was just trying to slip away during the commotion. Things just...didn't go as planned..." The redhead responded.

"Are you really that displeased of staying here with us?" The lion shifter asked her. "Even though we don't mean you any harm and we want to at least TRY to get along with you?"

 **I didn't even ASKED to be kidnapped by them in the first place! But, even so...** Akira was at a loss in her thoughts, words even. "I..."

"The Boss told the others and I to be patient with you until you were settled enough before we could ask you questions about our target, which is understandable considering what the two of you have been through concerning this man five years ago..." Leone began, and she then looked up at the redhead's azure eyes. "But now, I see that we're dealing with nothing more than a **_coward..._** "

The blonde's words struck a cord deep inside the kickboxer but she has remained silent as she hung her head low, avoiding Leone's gaze.

"Last night, you called me greedy and I thought about it just like you said. It turned out to be true once I had enough time to think things over." The outlaw confessed. "I admit it, I'm not perfect, but you're not either... I never would have guessed that you were such a **_coward._** " She dragged on that particular word again, and Leone didn't miss the way on how Akira's body shuddered. "I'm really disappointed, but I don't blame you..."

The lioness merely stepped aside and with her left arm she gestured for the siblings to be on their way.

"It's your life after all. And who am I to keep you here as a 'prisoner'? Don't you worry, I'll talk to the Boss! I'm sure she'll understand and be sympathetic for your choice. But in the meantime, I simply don't have the time to deal with a selfish wimp who only cares about her own safety, I'm surprised you're even able to take care of your brother." The blonde droned on, crossing her arms. "When instead, you could have the courage to lead us to the bastard and put an end to him. But apperantly, all I'm hearing is _"I'm going to run away and let Lupin do whatever he wants. He's certainly not my problem anymore."._ Go on, I'm FINALLY giving you the choice to leave! I won't stop you! Let's see just how far you'll get before you get captured or worse, killed."

"I-I don't know..." Akira managed to croaked out as she fell to her knees, still avoiding Leone's gaze as she sobbed quietly. She brought her bandaged hands to cover up her ears, almost as if trying to block out distant voices from her past. "I don't know what to do..." She reapeated once again in a whisper, but the outlaw managed to catch it with her lion ears.

Leone merely closed her eyes, sighing through her nose as she walked past the distraught redhead. "That's up to you to decide."

* * *

 **A/N2: Well, that's the entirety of chapter 6 folks! Please let me know what you think on your reviews! Any kind of support would be appreciated. On chapter 7, Lupin the Skull Crusher finally makes his first appearance! Until next time! ;)**


	7. Kill Your Fears

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Kill Your Fears**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Outside Forest**

Akira didn't know how long she had been outside. It felt like ages, but in reality it was evening now. She had spaced out from the world as she had been crying her sorrows away. Her indecision still lingering seeing as she had yet to move from the spot where she had fallen to her knees.

The redhead felt a warm presence on her shoulder. Looking to the side for the first time in a while, it turned out to be Takumi. The ten year old stayed by her side this entire time, merely hugging his sister until eventually he fell asleep. Akira couldn't help but smile a bit as she gently brushed away some of his bangs before ultimately sighing. She might as well head back to the hideout and put Takumi to bed.

There was no use staying outside and the last thing she wanted was for her brother to catch a cold because of her.

 **Night Raid Hideout, Hallway**

After putting her brother to bed, Akira wandered throughout the hideout and she was surprised to not only find silence but it was also empty.

 **Where is everyone?** The redhead wondered to herself, leaning against one of the open windows and looking out into the nightly landscape. She could even see the city lights from the Capital from here. **You know, for an assassin's hideout... The view is really beautiful.**

"Well, I see that you've finally returned." A familiar voice spoke out to her.

The kickboxer looked up and smiled a bit at seeing Najenda. "Yeah, I'm back..."

The Ex general took out a cigar and lighted it, offering her box to the newcomer. "Want one?"

"No thanks." Akira declined with a shake of her head. "I don't smoke."

"Suit yourself." Najenda responded with a small shrug of her shoulders. "So, Leone has told me that you tried to escape again..."

"She told you, huh? I guess she even told you the part where she called me a _**coward...**_ " The redhead chuckled pitifully.

The older woman puffed and exhaled her smoke. "Yes, she did. And if you ask me... Being a coward isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"It's not?" The kickboxer spoke confused.

"No." Najenda shook her head in reassurance. "Anyone can run away, it's super easy. Facing problems and working through them, that's what makes you strong. If anything, it makes you more human. We're not perfect and everyone has their fair share of fears. Take Lubbock, for example."

Akira looked surprised. "He's a coward?"

"As they come." The Ex general said with a small smile. "Quite frankly, Lubbock doesn't like confronting his enemies and so he prefers 'confronting' them from the sidelines, and there's nothing wrong with that seeing as that will definitely compliment his Teigu. If anything, that just makes him all the more resilient. And just between you and me, I'm amazed that he decided to follow me this far..."

"Wait, so he wasn't originally an assassin because he wanted to?" The redhead asked.

"No. Previously, I used to be a General for the Imperial Army and Lubbock happened to be one of my top subordinates. I remember the first time I met him... He was the fourth son of a rich merchant and he had everything most people would even dream of, but Lubbock willingly left everything behind and joined the army just to be by my side." The older woman smiled fondly at the memory. "Eventually, the corruption within the Capital got to a point where even I couldn't handle it any more and so I deserted. And just like before, Lubbock forged our papers claiming that we were both 'dead' and willingly followed me once again."

 **Wow. Such lengths of dedication people would go through just for the one they love...** The kickboxer thought in admiration towards the wired tactician. "Lubbock's amazing. Doesn't he miss his family or the life he previously had? Not even a little?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Lubbock hasn't complained even once in that aspect. So, if you're that curious about it, you can ask him yourself." Najenda answered, before she gave a sigh. "And while I agree with you on him being amazing, I just wish he wasn't such a pervert..." She chuckled.

For the first time since their conversation began, Akira laughed.

 **Well, I guess that's it then.** The redhead mentally decided, and she then looked up at the older woman. "Thank you, Miss Najenda." Akira shook her head and corrected herself. "No... Thank you, Boss." She spoke much more confidently. "If you're offer from before still stands... Please let me be a member of Night Raid!"

"You do realize that there's no turning back from this, right?" The Ex general warned her. "You will become an assassin for this infamous group. You will be taking lives and in doing so you'll become an enemy of the Imperial Army. Will you be prepared for the trials ahead of you?" She asked one last time.

 **You guys were the ones who kidna- You know what, I don't care anymore... Let's bury the hatchet.** "Leone is right. I can't just sit around and do nothing, and I definitely can't run away from my problems forever. Where would I go? What would I do? How constantly do I have to look over my shoulder to make sure Lupin isn't there? How long would it be before I get captured or worse...killed by him?" The kickboxer let out a shaky breath. "I will do everything in my power to help assist the revolution and through it all... I hope that the new world we'll create will be peaceful enough for my brother and I to start over again, as normal as we can be anyway, but...I want to do it! I want to face my fears and be brave, or at least _try_ to find the courage to do so."

"Very well." Najenda grinned, extending her hand towards the redhead. "Welcome to the team, Akira."

Akira shook hands with her new employer. "Thank you for having me, Boss. I promise, I won't let you down!"

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room (Later, on that same evening)**

"WHAT?!" Mine exclaimed in shock and slight irritation. " _She's_ going to be our new member now!"

"Yes, she is." Najenda said with an amusing smile. "Starting today, Akira will be a part of this team. And like Tatsumi, you will each take turns in teaching her the ropes." She informed them.

Most of the Night Raid members were rather speechless, but Akame was the first one to speak. "Understood."

The kickboxer merely lifted a hand up to her neck, feeling rather awkward and shy at the moment since she really isn't the biggest fan of speaking in front of groups. "I'm sorry for being a pain the ass this entire time... I promise you, here and now, that I will do my best and pull my weight."

 **I wonder why she decided to join us all of a sudden...** Bulat thought to himself, but he addressed the kickboxer with a dazzling smile. "Nonsense. It's good to have you on the team!"

The redhead couldn't help but blush madly, clearly the muscular man still had an effect on her. "Thanks! I-I'll do my best!"

Sheele approached Akira, grabbing a hold of her hands while giving her a warm smile. "Welcome to the team, Akira. I-I hope that we can get along."

"I'd like that." The redhead returned the smile.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this." Tatsumi spoke surprised, but regardless he grinned. "It looks like we need to support each other from now on since we're the newcomers."

"It's no skin off my nose. I certainly won't mind having another beautiful face around." Lubbock commented.

"Seriously, now we have another newbie to babysit..." The sniper sighed as she turned towards the outlaw, who was leaning against the wall and lost in thought. Out of everyone in the group, she had yet to speak surprisingly. "What do you think Leone?"

Leone inclined her head towards her. "Hmm?"

"I said, what do you think about this?" The pinklette told her once again, annoyed that she had to repeat herself.

"Yeah, great." The blonde grumbled out, pushing herself off the wall. "Can we go now?" She mostly directed the question towards her boss.

 **She's still mad I see. Not that I blame her...** Akira noticed, her face settling on a smile albeit it was a rather sad one.

"Not just yet." Najenda told her. "Aside from introducing out latest member into the fray, we got another job."

"Another one?! So soon? But we just got back from killing one of Prime Minister Honest's distant relatives..." Tatsumi couldn't help but whine.

"It's a special request." The Ex general merely smiled at the boy's misery. "One of our fellow comrades, who's our client, wants our target to be dealt with immediately."

Akame was super attentive at hearing this news. "What's our next mission?"

"Our target this time is a man named Jeremiah Combs. He's an infamous serial killer part of the organ trafficking ring that's been causing quite the stir within the Capital the last few months. Jeremiah likes to target Escorts. He enjoys his time with them, cuts off particular limbs or other body parts to sell off to his clients with fetishes, and finally...he slowly tortures the girls to death." The older woman informed them.

"And of course, we need to deal with a nasty bastard..." Lubbock commented in disgust.

"I hear ya, Lub." Leone agreed with him, crossing her arms. "So, where does the bastard like to 'hunt'?"

"The Red Light District." The military woman responded, lightly up a cigar.

"Geez... This is starting to be a pain in the ass!" Mine complained. "There are LOTS of establishments in the Red Light District that operates like that! It's like finding a needle in a hay stack."

"There's no need to worry." Najenda reassured. "Chelsea was kind enough to schedule a meeting with Jeremiah before handing the job to us."

Bulat looked surprised. "Chelsea? As in, the Chelsea that works for the western Night Raid division?"

"The one and only. Chelsea had entrusted us with this job because it seemed too demanding even with her skills as an assassin, not to mention her Teigu can only help her so far since it's not meant for combat." The Ex general explained.

"That's where we come in, I presume?" Sheele guessed.

The older woman nodded, puffing and exhaling her smoke. "Correct. It seems that Jeremiah has noticed his sudden rise in 'popularity' in our line of work and so a couple of weeks ago he managed to hire some professional help and according to Chelsea, Jeremiah's bodyguard is very strong and he's apparently in possession of a Teigu himself."

"Oh. So Jeremiah's bodyguard has one of those too, huh?" Tatsumi asked. "Do we know what type it is?"

"According to Chelsea, it seems to be a Bestial type of Teigu but she hasn't seen what it can do up close." The military woman responded.

Akame seemed unfazed by this information, taking out Murasame. "It doesn't matter. I will cut through my enemies no matter what."

"You tell 'em, Bestie! We'll send the bastards straight to Hell if it's the last thing we do!" Leone declared with a grin.

"Very well then, that's settled. Now, there's just one problem..." Najenda spoke out rather seriously, gathering everyone's attention. "Jeremiah may target Escorts, however...he specifically likes to hunt after _**redheads.**_ "

Almost as if on cue, Akira literally felt everyone's eyes on her and she had never felt so pressured in her life.

"Oh, fuck me..." The redhead let out a bitter laugh, before looking up at the older woman. "Come on Boss, PLEASE tell me that you're kidding!"

"I do make puns from time to time, but my humor seems to be lost with the other members. Unfortunately for you though, I am not kidding. I'm very serious." The Ex general lamented to inform. "And I must confess, earlier when we were having our talk... My original purpose was to ask you to do this favor for me, but since you've told me that you made up your mind and decided to join us...I thought, _"Sweet, that's a HUGE_ bonus!", and quite frankly it sucks for you since I'm your boss." She admitted with a grin.

 **I hate this place!** The kickboxer thought with disdain as her mouth went agape at this revelation, obviously not liking her odds. "I QUIT!"

"Fine then, be a bum. Regardless of how you feel, you'll still won't be able to leave the hideout. You're the perfect one for the job, not to mention it's a good first mission for you!" The military woman said amusingly.

"I don't appreciate playing bait with some nasty bastard for my first mission, with or without my consent!" Akira practically roared at her leader. "What about Mine? She may be a pinklette, but she still qualifies as a redhead too you know!"

"I wouldn't be caught dead with that kind of role." The sniper told her straight out. "Besides, I have seniority over you! So pull up your big girl pants and get over yourself!"

"Has anyone ever told you how much of a bitch you are?" The redhead commented bluntly.

Tatsumi huffed. "Don't worry about it. I practically remind her every single day..."

"SHUT UP!" The pinklette yelled at the two of them.

"Enough!" Najenda spoke out, ending their little squabble before it got out of control, and then she returned to the issue at hand. "Please Akira. You're the only one for the job. I understand how you feel, but I assure you that your teammates will be with you every step of the way. They'll be watching from the shadows of course but you won't really be alone, they'll just watch over you until they can find the perfect opportunity to strike."

"I don't know..." Akira still felt uneasy about it all. "I don't even have any fancy clothes to wear."

"We can help you with that!" Both Mine and Lubbock volunteered with huge grins on their faces.

The kickboxer just groaned all the while, already wishing that her first mission will be done and over with.

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Red Light District**

Hours later, the entirety of Night Raid had arrived at the district and most of them moved into their positions. Lubbock and Mine were putting the finishing touches for Akira's attire before they joined the others. The redhead was wearing a black turtleneck with her blue bandana over it, a blue set of diamond earrings, black trouser pants, flats, and finally her hair was put up into a sophisticated bun.

 **Normally, I would appreciate a makeover and a nice change of clothes every once in a while but...I just wish I wasn't dressing up for a nasty bastard!** The kickboxer couldn't help but complain in her thoughts for the umpteenth time tonight, coughing slightly by the amount of powder Mine was putting to her face. She then gently slapped the sniper's hand away. "I think that's enough, don't you think?"

"I don't know... You still look a little pasty." Mine admitted to her.

"Who wouldn't be pale at a time like this?!" Akira yelled exasperatedly, her nerves setting up a flare. "I'm basically going on a date with a messed up pervert! What if I end up in a pile of mush? I don't want to die like that! I don't want my limbs to be sold off to a bunch of sickos with fetish fantasies!"

The pinklette merely sighed. "I kind of feel sorry for you."

"Just try to relax Akira. Remember what Miss Najenda said? We'll be with you every step of the way." Lubbock reassured her in a soothing manner, he then took something out of his coat. "If you're that worried, here."

"A survival knife?" The redhead spoke out in surprise.

The greenlette boy winked. "Just as a precaution. You know, just in case if the bastard does anything funny."

"Good thinking Lub! Also, put these on." The sniper said as she handed Akira a pair of gloves. "Escorts are supposed to be perfect in terms of appearance and you won't be able to fool Jeremiah if you have bandages wrapped around your hands."

"Thanks." The kickboxer put on her gloves and put the knife away, feeling a tad bit safer. "Okay, so do I present myself with my name or should I make one up?"

"Chelsea willingly put her own name when she scheduled the meeting so he's going to refer to you as Chelsea the entire time." The wired tactician told her. "Just relax, try to react for whenever he calls you Chelsea, and go along with whatever he says. If we can get Jeremiah to let his guard down, it will be an easy target for us. And by the way, if you see an opportunity to strike yourself then you're allowed to."

Akira let out shaky breath. "Y-Yeah, okay."

"You'll be fine, Akira." Mine spoke confidently with a small smile, gently nudging the redhead. "We'll be with you every step of the way." She reassured her one last time, before turning to Lubbock. "Let's go Lub."

The green haired boy started following his companion, not before giving Akira one last boost of confidence. "Remember: You're beautiful, strong, AND smart!"

For the first time since this mission started, Akira laughed a bit. "Thanks..."

When her teammates left, the kickboxer stood around for quite a bit waiting for her 'date' and all the while her nervousness was starting to creep up again.

 **I'm beautiful, strong, and smart. I'm beautiful, strong, and smart.** Akira repeated the mantra over and over in her head, grateful to Lubbock for mentioning it in the first place. **I'm beautiful, strong, and smart. I'm beautiful, strong, and sma-**

"Chelsea?" An unfamiliar gruff voice called out to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The redhead couldn't help but be startled as she turned around to face the man and his bodyguard. "U-Um... Hi! You must be Jeremiah Combs, I presume?"

Jeremiah is a tall, slim, blunette with sleek hair and goatee. His outfit for the evening consisted of a white shirt with a black leather jacket over it, blue jeans, sneakers, and finally he wore a pair of black sunglasses at the top of his head.

"The one and only." The blue haired man spoke with a grin, looking her up and down. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a sight for sore eyes?"

 **Oh brother...** Akira had to resist the urge to not roll her eyes let alone punch this guy's gut for letting his eyes wander, but instead she smiled and bared with it. **Come on Akira, remember your mission!** She reminded herself. "Well, aren't you quite the charmer?"

"That's what my mother told me." Jeremiah chuckled, and he then gestured to his bodyguard. "How rude of me! My lady, please let me introduce you to my bodyguard, _Lupin._ "

A chord struck deep inside the redhead at hearing that **_name_** again, but when the kickboxer looked at the equally but slightly taller man beside Jeremiah...he looked like a completely different man compared to the one who tormented her five years ago.

The Lupin from back then was slim in appearance, had a moderate muscular build, clean shaven, and finally he had greasy brown hair at the top of his head. This Lupin had a bald shaved head, a muscular build similar to Bulat's, a brown beard, and finally...the two main key details that made Akira think otherwise where the man's chestnut eyes and the scar over the bridge of his nose.

Lupin's outfit consisted of white tribal pants probably from the northeastern tribes in the outskirts of the Capital, he didn't wear a shirt merely showing off his broad muscular build to the world, bandages were wrapped around his wrists and shins, straw sandals, and finally he had a wolf's pelt covering the base of his shoulders as if it were a mere cloak of sorts.

 **Oh Gods...!** The redhead thought in panic at this realization, shivering out of fear. **No wonder the others had a hard time tracking him down after all this time...Lupin changed A LOT! This is REALLY bad!**

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The muscular bodyguard spoke out with a gruff, eyeing her warily. His brown eyes suddenly widened. "Hmm, have we met somewhere before?"

"N-No. Not that I remember." Akira managed to respond, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I know that he can be a bit intimidating, but there's no need to worry my lady." Jeremiah reassured her. "Lupin will protect us. That's what I hired him for after all! I know that the Imperial Capital hasn't been the safest place to be in nowadays."

The kickboxer gathered her composure and smiled. "Thank you. I feel safer already."

"That's good to hear! Now then, let's head on over to the restaurant! Unless, you already want to head over to my place... It's not that far away from here." The blunette said in a husky voice, letting his eyes wander yet again.

"Food sounds great." Akira responded rather quickly. "Please." She then added as an afterthought as to not sound rude.

Jeremiah didn't seem to mind, in fact he merely smiled. "Playing hard to get, eh? I get it. No prob!"

"I'll be sure to make it worth your while later on." The redhead whispered playfully as she hooked her arm with his. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way my lady. Pick whatever restaurant you want, my treat." The blunette said generously as both he and Akira started walking down the streets. He then looked over his shoulder. "Come on, Lupi! You don't want to be left behind, do you?"

Lupin merely grumbled in response as he silently followed suit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Akira had both Lupin and Jeremiah distracted while the other Night Raid members went on in pursuit and got into their positions. Sheele and Mine were stationed outside on one of the roofs near the restaurant, the sniper readying and steadying Pumpkin for a clear shot for whenever Lupin or Jeremiah let their guard down.

"Do you think you'll get a clear shot from here?" The lilac haired assassin asked her companion, straightening her glasses.

The pinklette merely smirked. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Answering a question with a question I see." Sheele spoke in a teasing manner. "I think I'm talking to a sniper genius, may~be..."

Mine gasped, playing along. "Now I'm being doubted by my best friend, I see how it is."

The schere wielder giggled. "I wonder how Akira's doing? She looks tense from up here."

"Can you blame her? I would be tense too." The sniper admitted, readying herself while looking through Pumpkin's scope. "Just seeing that bastard's hands over her pisses me off..."

"Aw, you do care!" Sheele couldn't help but coo, causing Mine to blush red scarlet in the face.

"S-Shut up and stand guard Sheele!" The pinklette practically whined at her.

The lilac haired assassin giggled all the while. "Whatever you say Mine."

Inside the restaurant, Tatsumi and Lubbock were undercover acting as a young couple. The swordsman being the man and the wired tactician ended up crossdressing as a woman.

"Damn it! Why do I have to be paired up with a guy?" The greenlette boy complained as he acted to look over the menu. "I wish it could've been with one of the girls..." He mumbled pitifully.

"Oh, shut up! Besides, Bro would probably not look good in women's clothing!" The brunette practically yelled at him in response.

Lubbock snickered. "I think Bulat would want YOU to wear the dress! Bulat's more manlier compared to the two of us, despite being gay."

"I know... That's what _terrifies_ me!" Tatsumi spoke briskly as he shuddered, not even wanting to imagine if said event happened.

The swordsman couldn't describe it, but he suddenly felt a presence behind him.

" _I'm hurt that you said such things about me, Sunshine..."_ Bulat, who's wearing Incursio, whispered sounding as if he had been crying. _"It's okay though, I still love you."_

The brunette got startled as he looked around for the veteran, but didn't see him anywhere in the restaurant vicinity. **I could've sworn I heard him just know...** He thought with confidence, but now felt unsure. "Bro?"

The muscular man chuckled. _"I'm right here Tatsumi. You're not crazy, I assure you."_

"Wait... So, you're invisible right now?" Tatsumi asked as he reached out to where he felt Bulat's presence, successfully finding his big brother figure as he felt the veteran's six pack.

" _Yep! My Trump Card is invisibility."_ Bulat responded with a smug smirk.

The swordsman was confused. "Trump Card? What's that?"

"We'll explain it to you in better detail some other time." Lubbock reassured him. "Right now, we need to focus on the mission." He reminded them.

The veteran nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. _"Agreed. The mission comes first."_

"Right." Tatsumi responded as he regained his composure, drinking from his glass.

From Akira's side of the restaurant, the redhead looked toward where the boys were sitting at. She wondered why the brunette was looking around while talking to himself.

 **I guess Tatsumi must be nervous too...or maybe he's just crazy.** The kickboxer wondered to herself.

"Chelsea," Jeremiah called out to her again for the third time, putting his hand on top of hers and Akira had to resist the urge to not pull away. "Is everything alright? You don't look so well."

"I'm fine." The redhead reassured with a smile, standing up from her seat. "I just need to go to the restroom, please excuse me."

As his date left and was out of sight, Jeremiah turned to face his bodyguard. "So, what do you think buddy? She's pretty hot, eh?"

"Yes, she is. It's a shame that she won't be around for much longer..." Lupin responded in disappointment, choosing his words carefully since there are a lot of potential witnesses and eavesdroppers.

"No, wait. Let me guess: Chelsea reminds you of your old beloved, doesn't she?" The blunette asked him.

"A spitting image to be exact." The bodyguard responded as he crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment as he went down memory lane. "My beloved was a tender young age when I first met her five years ago... If she were around, she'd be nineteen close to twenty years of age. I have no doubt in my mind that she looks beautiful."

Jeremiah looked at the bald man in wonder. "So, is she like...dead or something?"

"Oh, no. She is very much alive... I can almost feel it." Lupin spoke in confidence, and then he changed the subject. "Now, enough about me. What's the quota you need to meet with this Chelsea girl?"

"Ho, ho! This happens to be a special request from one of my loyal customers." The blunette told him straight out, he then leaned a bit closer. "Prime Minister Honest to be exact. Rumors say that he's a cannibal, but he specifically likes to eat tender young women."

This news seemed to surprise the bald muscular man. "The Minister? I personally know that the old coot likes to terrorize people with power and money by controlling the Emperor through the shadows, but...cannibalism?"

"That's what I hear. Anyway...the Minister wants a womb, eyes, breasts, tongue, kidneys, and a liver." Jeremiah listed off. "I guess I can sell off the rest of her limbs and organs over to some sick bastard." He decided, and he then had a perverted grin. "I will do all that once I have my fun with her..."

 **Oh, cause you aren't a sick bastard yourself?** Lupin thought sarcastically, keeping that comment to himself. "That old coot certainly likes to eat..." He grumbled.

"That he does!" The blunette laughed as he drank his beer.

A couple tables over, a certain raven haired waitress accidentally dropped some dishes. The young waitress apologized frantically to an elderly couple. She quickly picked up the broken plates and made her way to the kitchen, or at least it looked like she did. Akame dropped the dishes at a nearby trash can and quickly made her way to the nearest restroom, obviously not liking what she just overheard while crossing her fingers in hoping that she wouldn't miss the redhead.

 **Please let me make it in time!** Akame thought desperately, paying close attention to her surroundings in case Akira was wandering around at this point. Once she made it to the bathroom, the young sword master sighed in relief when she saw her new teammate leaning over the counter sink, probably mentally preparing herself before heading back out there. **Thank goodness...**

"Akame?" The kickboxer noticed the raven as she entered the restroom through the bathroom mirror, and she then turned around to face her. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be out there with the others?" She asked her.

The sword master merely ignored her friend as she made quick strides just to hug the redhead.

Akira was certainly surprised at this sudden action, but it didn't take her long to return the hug. "Not that I'm happy to see you or don't appreciate the hug, but... Are you okay?"

"You can't go out there." Akame told her.

"Why not?" The kickboxer asked her, still not understanding what's going on. "Don't I still have a role to play out?"

The raven shook her head fiercely. "Not anymore."

"Akame, you're scaring me and I'm already scared enough as it is..." Akira timidly admitted, looking more pale by the second.

"I'm sorry, but it's because of-"

The door to the restroom suddenly opened, and instinctively Akame suddenly grabbed the intruder in a hold while Akira swiftly followed suit by pulling out Lubbock's survival knife and put it against the woman's throat. Only, that it wasn't actually an intruder but an ally...

"Damn, you girls are on edge!" Leone spoke out in panic as her golden eyes widened, patting against Akame's forearm frantically so that she can be released. "Let go. I'm friendly, friendly!"

"Sorry!" Both girls apologized to the outlaw.

Once the blonde was released, her stance relaxed considerably. "Geez... What if it was a normal pedestrian? Our cover would've totally been blown! What's going on with you girls?"

"That's what I want to know." Akira said in agreement.

"I'm thinking of telling Tatsumi and the others to switch on the offensive." Akame told them straight out. "I overheard Jeremiah talking with his bodyguard as I checked a couple of my tables, and what that sick bastard has planned for you Akira...it's not pretty."

The redhead blanched. "W-What was he going to do?"

The raven remained silent, debating whether or not to tell her friend.

"Akame..." The kickboxer called out to her, practically begging.

"After having his way with you, he was going to sell your organs. Specifically your womb, eyes, breasts, tongue, kidneys, and your liver..." The sword master told her the truth. "And all of it will go to Prime Minister Honest, who happens to be one of Jeremiah's loyal customers..."

Leone growled in displeasure, shocked by this sudden information. "That monster is a fucking cannibal?!"

"The Minster does eat a lot of meat. So, I wouldn't be surprised if that was really the case..." Akame spoke solemnly.

"I-I see, no wonder you hugged me all of a sudden... You were worried." Akira replied rather shakily, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. "Oh, Gods... I think I'm going to be sick...!" Her knees suddenly gave out, both Akame and Leone managed to catch her and they slowly lowered themselves to the ground. "H-How can you guys manage to do this kind of job? You guys can do things with a brave face and yet, here I am, still being a bloody **_coward!_** "

"Akira, it's only your first mission. It's understandable on why you feel this way." The raven gently took a hold of Akira's hands. "We all have our reasons to join Night Raid. Some of us just needed a purpose, an opportunity to try and make things right by the mistakes we've made in the past, and others...joined willingly just to end this damned corruption." She spoke as she glanced at her best friend knowingly from the corner of her eye.

"Fact is...all of us know that this isn't the greatest job in the world. Our missions don't get any easier by the day, and every time we have to wonder... if we're going to survive and live another day." Leone continued as she hugged both girls, laying her head on top of Akame's while rubbing slow circles on Akira's back. "Nobody, in this entire world, will understand the kind of burden we're carrying for the sake of our beliefs. In Night Raid, all we have is each other..."

"Thank you girls, for sharing that with me..." **Like a family, huh? Man oh man, I was really off the mark with these people...** The redhead chastised herself, and then she remembered something. "Girls, I have something to tell you."

Both girls gave Akira their undivided attention. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jeremiah's bodyguard. He's...he's _Lupin the Skull Crusher!_ " The kickboxer revealed to them.

The outlaw gasped in disbelief. "WHAT?!"

"Are you sure?" Akame asked her, she wasn't doubtful or anything but she just wanted to make sure that Akira was certain.

"Oh, I'm sure!" The redhead nodded rather frantically. "During my imprisonment, I could _**NEVER**_ forget those eyes let alone that scar over his nose... The main reason why you guys couldn't find him this entire time was because he changed his appearance, by a lot!"

"Well, this is getting rather annoying..." The blonde couldn't help but grumble, and she then looked towards her best friend. "I think you were right in saying to switch on to the offensive." She stood up from the floor and started to head out. "I'm going to tell Sheele and Mine, probably even tell her to take a shot too. It might be a gamble, but it will probably be the best chance to catch them off guard if only slightly."

The sword master nodded in agreement, following suit. "Understood. I'll inform the boys. Akira, head back to Jeremiah and continue to play along for just a bit longer, okay? I promise that everything will be alright."

"I trust you." The kickboxer spoke out with newfound confidence as she straightened her clothes. **Even then, it's not like I have a choice in the matter...I still have a role to play after all.** She thought as she left the restroom.

From outside, Mine was starting to get frustrated. She had yet to find the perfect opportunity to snipe the poor bastards off the face of the Earth and quite frankly it was starting to piss her off.

"Damn it! I really hate it when they're careful." The pinklette complained for the umpteenth time.

"Maybe they will soon?" Sheele suggested, trying to calm her companion. "They're about to leave the restaurant..."

The sniper looked exasperated by this point. "By then it will be too late!"

"Sheele! Mine!" A familiar voice called out to them.

Both girls turned to see Leone in her Beast form climbing to the roof. The blonde looked almost out of breath since she ran in hurry to get here.

"Leone, what's wrong?" The lilac haired assassin asked in concern.

"Change of plans! We're going on the offensive." The outlaw told them, and she then looked at the pinklette. "Mine, I need you to take a shot. I don't care how risky or how much of a gamble it is, just take it!" She ordered.

The sniper understood her orders but she was confused. "A-Alright, but what's going on? Weren't we going to stick to the plan?"

"I'll explain later, just do it!" The lion shifter barked the order again.

Inside the restaurant, Jeremiah already paid the bill and started to put on his leather jacket.

"Alrighty babe, are you ready to head to my place?" The blunette asked his date as he grinned. "I can tell that you and I will have a grand-" A shot rang out as Lupin suddenly sprang into action, saving and pulling Akira out of the way. Unfortunately for Jeremiah, he was it. "T-Time...?" He finished out, confused and disoriented as he fell to his knees, suddenly feeling a searing pain in his chest and it didn't take him long to figure out that he got shot let alone betrayed by his hired help. "L-Lupin... What the hell man?! You're _**MY**_ bodyguard! You were supposed to protect me, not that bitch...!" He rasped out in outrage.

Lupin was unfazed by his employer's outbursts. "That may be so, but the way I see it...you're getting just what you deserve Jeremy." He then sneered. "Send me a post card for when you get to Hell."

"Y-You..." If Jeremiah was angry, he didn't get to show it seeing as his body limply fell forward into a bloody heap on the wooden floors of the establishment. "Bastard..." The blunette whispered out, saying his final words as he finally slipped away.

As the shot rang out and Jeremiah took his last breath, the restaurant was at a stand still. The customers and employees alike paralyzed in fear by the events that just occurred. The spell was ultimately broken by Akira, who let out a scream and soon after everyone started running out of the establishment as to not get caught up in the violence.

"Nice one Akira!" Tatsumi praised as he and Lubbock got rid off their disguises.

The wired tactician nodded in agreement. "We'll take over from here."

 **Akira?** Lupin thought in surprise and doubt. **No, it can't be...**

By this time, most of the Night Raid members made themselves known and got into their battle stances.

"And so, we meet again." Akame took a step forward, unsheathing Murasame. "Lupin the Skull Crusher, you have been re-selected as Night Raid's primary target."

"Oh yes, I'm painfully aware on how you people operate and I see that the whole gang is here not to mention with a new face, except..." The bald muscular man trailed off as he felt a presence behind him, and as soon as Lupin felt the assailant's Aura intent to kill... He countered. "One!" The bodyguard pivoted and caught Bulat's spear, catching the veteran by surprise and was soon flipped over on his back, feeling the wind knocked out of him and causing his Teigu's invisibility to wear off since Bulat's focus was disrupted. "Demon Armor Incursio's Trump Card may be formidable, if used properly, however...I will not fall for the same cheap trick twice! I certainly learned my lesson last time."

"Y-You...bastard..." Bulat managed to rasp out, trying to bring air into his lungs.

"Get away from Bro!" Tatsumi yelled out in fury, unsheathing his sword and lunged forward.

Lupin sneered. "I love the passion in your eyes. Bring it on kid!"

Akira's azure eyes widen in alarm. "Tatsumi, don't do it!"

"Better listen to your friend, boy." The bald muscular man sidestepped the swordsman's downward slash, and he then caught the Tatsumi with a hand on his throat and proceeded to strangle him. "That's all you got? How disappointing..."

Sheele came running off to the side at full speed, Extase's shears opened and waiting to cut through flesh. "Let go of him Lupin!"

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the klutz that helped me escape last time. Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's dangerous to run with scissors?" Lupin asked her with a smile. "I hear it's quite dangerous!" He commented rather gleefully as he tossed a gasping Tatsumi towards Sheele's general direction...

 **I can't stop!** The lilac haired assassin thought in realization, debating whether or not to close her Teigu's shears, but deep down she was mortified seeing as regardless of her decision...the brunette will get hurt and possibly die. Either by being cut in half or be stabbed to death by Extase's sharp blades.

Time seemed to move at an all time slow, most of the Night Raid members being paralyzed on what was about to happen... That was until Akame and her fast reflexes came to the rescue, tackling Tatsumi and herself out of the way from Sheele's attack, landing on the ground. The lilac haired assassin sighed in relief before letting out a yelp as she lost momentum and crashed onto a couple of chairs and tables from the restaurant.

"Damn, and here I thought that stunt would at least get rid off one of you..." The bodyguard pouted in sheer disappointment. He then shrugged it off. "Ah well, what can you do?"

"You can do me the favor of dying!" Mine yelled as she readied Pumpkin and fired a shot.

Once again, Lupin was prepared, tossing a particular circular object towards Pumpkin's line of fire. "Shooting indoors isn't safe you know, and so I **_DO_** hope you have your safety on." He grinned yet again, revealing and dangling a safety pin from a grenade.

"TAKE COVER!" Lubbock yelled from the top of his lungs, lifting Akira into his arms.

Everyone in Night Raid blanched in comparison, dispersing as to try and find cover from the blast.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The ground shook, the dirt particles flew in the air along with splinters and broken pieces of wood, a cloud of smoke invaded the area. All was silent for a good while before Lupin started laughing from excitement, still standing in one piece from his safe zone as the Night Raid members are struggling to get up on their feet.

"Man, what a rush! I've never been this excited since my days on the ring!" The bodyguard cackled in glee before settling down, pulling up the hood of his pelt over his head. "I think the time for warming up is over... Now, it's time to get serious!" He took a deep breath and let out a yell...

"LOBOS TRANSFORM!"

A whirlwind suddenly appeared, enveloping Lupin in it, and once it dispersed a beastly wolf was left standing among them. The wolf's fur seemed to be brown, signifying his natural hair color, his head is shaped as a wolf with the ears, the nose, the muzzle and razor sharp teeth. Fur had enveloped his entire body from his head, arms, and his torso. Similar to Leone's Beast mode Lupin had paws on his hands and feet and a tail, but the only area in his body that wasn't covered in fur was his waist all the way down to his shins seeing as he was wearing his tribal pants. By the end of the transformation, the pelt seemed to have molded with his body and helped Lupin shift into this form.

Tatsumi looked rather surprised and horrified at the beast in front of him. "T-That's your Teigu...?"

"He's more of a beast than I am..." Leone couldn't help but comment.

"Correct!" Lupin would be sneering right now if wolf's could do so. "Night Raid, I present to you Alpha of All Beasts: Lobos. It's a pelt type Teigu skinned from an S-Class Danger Beast. Rumor has it, Lobos is well known throughout the continent for its spiritual wisdom but only a certain lucky few can hear the beasts consciousness, which is still present 'till this day. Being Lionelle's predecessor in terms of enhancing the user's speed, power, and sense of smell... Unfortunately, it does not share the same Trump Card, obviously but don't worry...I will show just how capable I can really be in this form!"

"Come on then!" The lion shifter challenged him, lunging forward. "Let's see what you really got, you mangy mutt!"

The night exploded into a maddening frenzy of flashes of blades, claws, wires, a spear and mental shock waves as the battle erupted. Though she kept her distance and help as much as she could, Akira found that she couldn't focus. Half of her attention was on the blonde, who was dishing out punishment, and the redhead couldn't tear her gaze away.

"Akira!" The outlaw barked out.

The ground shook beneath her feet and the kickboxer barely had time to dodge something that looked like a buffet table in her general direction.

"Pay attention!" The lion shifter chastised her.

At the sound of Leone's voice, the wolf had turned and lunged into a full out charge at the blonde. Akira was moving before she could fully comprehend what was unfolding...with a blind leap of faith, the redhead plowed into the outlaw's side and the giant, furry, fist meant for Leone drove her into the ground. An all too familiar metallic taste flooded in her mouth as her ears rang and suddenly everything felt muffled and far away.

Beneath her, the ground caved in and above her, Lupin loomed. The brown wolf snarled as he leaned down and gave a fearsome bite to Akira's shoulder, his razor sharp teeth tearing through flesh. Her survival instinct kicked in, taking out Lubbock's survival knife, and with the last bit of energy she slit Lupin's throat. Blood sprayed out from his throat as Lupin brought a furry hand up to his throat. Finally, the fearsome pressure on her ribs and shoulder dissipated as Lupin writhed in pain, quickly jumping back and away from Bulat's spear assault. Akame, Sheele, and Mine following suit to provide Bulat with some backup.

Blood began to gush out of the wound, staining the ground below the redhead. Pain radiated throughout her entire body, causing her to twitch and shake as she lay still on the ground. The cold of the night sunk into her skin. The feel of blood oozing from her injured shoulder made her feel sick but she remained still, listening to what was happening around her.

Immediately she was surrounded by Tatsumi and Lubbock, but it was Leone who ultimately went down the crater. "Oh God."

"I'm fine..." Akira rasped. **I was tossed around like a rag doll, that's all.** She thought as she felt her head being gingerly lifted and a warm lap soon replaced the cold earth.

"You idiot!" The outlaw practically yelled at her, scolding as her golden eyes filled with tears. "Why did you do that?"

The kickboxer blinked up at her dumbly and found she didn't have an answer, but the reflection in Leone's eyes comforted her despite the terrible pain she was in. Her mind seemed to have finally process the blonde's question and she soon remembered her answer. She swallowed hard, and fought to stay awake. "I...owed...you one..."

"What?" The lion shifter spoke, barely above a whisper as she gently cupped Akira's cheek with a furry hand and Akira couldn't help but lean against the warm hand.

The redhead coughed up a bit of blood before taking a deep breath. "I...owed you one, _Leone._ " She repeated, smiling a bit at seeing Leone's eyes widen at hearing her name. "Thank you for putting up with me and talking some sense into me. I...wouldn't blame you...if you thought of me as a pest...since day...one..." Akira's azure eyes slowly closed as her body went slack in outlaw's arms.

"Akira? Akira! Come on, stay with me now!" The blonde pleaded desperately, trying to rouse the injured kickboxer. "You... Damn it, you have to be okay!"

"Oh man, this is bad!" Lubbock said in alarm as he rushed over, kneeling beside the redhead and began assessing her injuries. "The wound on her shoulder looks pretty messy, she's probably going to need stitches."

"Do you want me to gather the others?" Tatsumi asked them, unsure of what to do.

The lion shifter growled in displeasure over the whole situation. "We _have_ to! Otherwise, Akira's not going to make it..."

"FREEZE!"

Everyone in Night Raid along with Lupin were snapped to attention as the Imperial Police made their presence known, guns along with swords and lances at the ready.

"Don't move!" The Captain of this squadron warned them. "We have you all surrounded!"

The wolf remained in his spot, looking this way and that around his surroundings, and the rest of Night Raid slowly huddled up together in a group.

Silence filled the space for a moment before Lubbock took something out from his coat and he mouthed _"On three."_ towards Sheele, who nodded in understanding. 1... 2... 3!

"NOW!" The wired tactician commanded as he threw a smoke bomb to the ground, enveloping the area in smoke.

The lilac haired assassin lifted her Teigu in the air, and cried out the name of her Trump Card. "EXTASE!"

The restaurant was soon covered up by a bright light, blinding Lupin as well as the Imperial Guards within the vicinity. As the smoke cleared up and within a flash, the entirety of Night Raid was gone, leaving Lupin to deal with the Imperial Police...

 **Well played, Night Raid...** The wolf thought impressed, before huffing out a breath. **Ah well, there's always next time.**

"What the hell just happened?"

"Ah, Night Raid just got away!"

"We'll worry about that later! Right now, we need to work together to apprehend this mongrel!" The Captain commanded them.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Lupin lamented to tell them, deep down knowing that this will benefit Night Raid too but he figured that he could make an exception. "You already know what I look like, therefore... _**I can't let any single one of you to live.**_ "

* * *

 **A/N2: Okay folks, that's all for chapter 7! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! The support would be nice and appreciated.**

 **Also, yes, I did create my own Teigu. The description for it on this chapter is the general gist for it. You can expect Lobos' Trump Card/abilities sometime later on a future chapter. Until next time! ;)**


	8. Kill Your Fevered Dreaming

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Kill Your Fevered Dreaming**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Akira's Room**

Akira laid in bed, bandages wrapped around her torso and shoulder, still unconscious. She had been that way for almost two nights and most of the Night Raid members were beginning to get worried. Najenda tried to console them saying she would wake up when her body was ready, but obviously it didn't give them much comfort.

Leone had been the most vigilant of them all. She felt that it had been her fault that Akira had received this injury for 'getting caught up in the fun' as Najenda would say. The blonde would stay by the redhead's side as much as possible, Akame and Tatsumi tried to calm her fears the best they could and alleviate some of her guilt though stubbornly, Leone thought otherwise.

At the very least the kickboxer had been showing some signs of recovery. Sometimes she would mumble and be restless in her sleep, almost as if she was having a nightmare. She would mumble Lupin's name and say, _"No..."_ among other things, at times she would even scream. So far the only ones being able to calm her down are Leone and Akame. The others merely had no choice but to wait the nightmares out.

It was going on the third night with Akira's condition being unchanged. By this point, the outlaw was becoming restless herself.

The lion shifter lightly damped a cloth in a small white bowl of water that sat perched on the small table by the kickboxer's bed, and she then lightly squeezed out the excess water from the cloth before tenderly placing it on Akira's hot fevered forehead.

Akira's only reaction to the coolness was a soft sigh of relief between her labored breathing.

"You idiot..." Leone chastised quietly to the unconscious redhead, worriedly looking down at the woman who had so effortlessly made her angry as of late for the first time since well...ever. Which was an accomplishment in and of itself seeing as Leone rarely does get angry, not counting when she gets surprised and fighting against corrupted criminals. "Why did you have to safe me? I would've been fine..." She insisted, having total confidence in Lionelle's regeneration, but of course Akira doesn't know that.

How could she? The kickboxer never asked and of course Leone never had the chance to tell her about what her Teigu can do.

"Please wake up, Akira. I don't know how much of this I can take..." The blonde whispered quietly, almost in defeat, while putting her face in her hands.

* * *

 _ **Five years ago... Year 1019**_

 _Akira settled down, if only briefly. "Where's my brother?"_

 _It wasn't a question, it was a demand._

" _That my dear depends entirely on your cooperation." Her captor sneered. "Are you going to behave?"_

" _Yes..." The redhead whispered, nodding in emphasis._

 _The tall man approached and untied the chain from the cell walls and he then roughly tugged on it, making the fourteen year old cry out in pain seeing as the shackles' needles around her wrists dug deeper into her flesh and undoubtedly tearing up skin as the chain was pulled her captor's way._

" _I'd suggest that you keep up with me, unless you want to receive pain like that." The brunette responded._

 _Akira shakily rose up on her feet, albeit a bit shakily seeing as she was on her knees for several hours, and followed the man out of the cell. She followed him down the dungeon halls, her azure eyes looking left and right and wherever she looked it was the same sight. Several cells each holding a child around her age. Some looked experienced with the trials and routine of this place, not even trying to struggle anymore as the last glimmer of hope and resolve had left their eyes, others appeared to have just 'arrived' here though obviously it wasn't of their on free will seeing as some of them are crying for their dead parents or yelling at their captor to let them go._

 _ **Well, at least I'm not the only one going through this shitty situation...** The redhead thought to herself, crying out yet again as the man tugged at the chains, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts._

" _You're not here for sightseeing, you are here to learn your purpose." The tall man stated roughly, getting rather impatient. "Now, come."_

 _As they neared the end of the dungeon, Akira followed her captor up two flights of stairs leading up to a floor that appeared to be the living as well as sleeping quarters of the grunts of this place. The man's followers merely bowed in respect as their leader passed by. Soon enough by the end of the hall, the redhead climbed another two flights of stairs._

 _ **Just how deep underground are we?** The fourteen year old wondered, noticing that the more they climbed she could make out some excited voices coming from above._

" _We're here." Her captor announced._

 _Akira found herself inside an underground arena. A fence surrounded the coliseum, separating the crowd from the fighters. The stands filled to the brim with people from the Imperial Capital. The rich, the poor, and criminals alike cheered with utmost glee as they placed bets and supported on their favorite fighters. The redhead gasped as she looked down below, noticing that the fighters are in fact children around her age. A boy and a girl to be exact, both of them covered in dirt and blood and near the brink of exhaustion as they tried to throw punches and kicks at one another._

 _Flinching, the chains pulled her in the direction of the stands near the center of the coliseum, secluded from the general public and reserved just for her and her captor._

" _Sit." The brunette ordered as he sat down and Akira obeyed, sitting down next to him. "Are you enjoying the show so far?"_

 _The redhead looked at him in disbelief. "Enjoying? Are you kidding me?! Who's enjoying this?!" She spoke exasperatedly, flinching as the acupuncture needles around her torso punctured her flesh with her sudden movements. It hurt to breathe._

 _Her captor gestured to the crowd that filled the arena. "They're the ones finding it enjoyable. And it's our job to entertain them. Starting tomorrow, you will be one of my new fighters."_

" _Whoa there buddy, that's not how things work." Akira told him straight out. "You can't just kidnap me and expect me to just fight for you!"_

" _Earlier, you asked me for my name and our current location... I will tell you now. The name's Lupin. The scumbags in the Imperial Capital know me as 'Lupin the Skull Crusher', and as of right now I am the leader of the Underground Fighting Tournaments here at the Capital." The tall man introduced himself. "Here's how this is going to work, sweetheart. I kidnap you, and I tell you to fight for me. It's that simple."_

" _I-I didn't ask for this..." The redhead choked out, fear gripping out her heart for the first time since she's been kidnapped._

" _The other brats certainly didn't ask for this either. Do you want to know what's in it for them, and you? You will be fighting not only for your survival, but also for the enjoyment for the people who paid good money to see blood and gore." Lupin whispered in her ear, his calloused hands massaging Akira's tensed shoulders. "If you behave and keep a calm head, you and your brother will survive. If you disobey, well... Let's not go there, but I can guarantee that it will be the end for the both of you."_

 _Akira let out a shaky breath. "Why are you doing this?"_

" _My dear, believe it or not, I am doing a HUGE favor for you! The strong feast upon the weak, that's the law of the land around these parts. I'm just teaching you how to survive." The brunette stated._

" _To survive?" The fourteen year old repeated rather quietly, Lupin nodding in confirmation. "Pinning kids against each other...for this sick twisted entertainment just to earn money. A battle to the death... You're **making** us into killers, aren't you?"_

 _Her Captor sneered. "Found me out, did you? You're pretty smart for your age." The tall man patted her on the head and Akira swatted it away, flinching at the pain in her wrists from her sudden movement. "That's what I do, that's what I live for, and that's what I like to deliver. That's my motto."_

 _ **On that night, my Hell began... The next night, it was my debut for Lupin's game.**_

" _Tonight's the night." Lupin grinned in glee, removing Akira's shackles. "You will stay with the armor, and your wrists may be freed at the moment but that's mostly because of your debut match, you will wear them again once it's over so don't even **think** of escaping."_

 _The redhead gently soothed her aching wrists with her hands, happy to have them freed if only for a short while. "And get myself and my baby brother killed, I'm not stupid..."_

" _Good girl. Break a leg, I'll be watching." And with that, her captor left._

 _Akira waited the next few minutes, waiting for the gates to the arena to open, and if she were honest to herself...she was not only nervous but she was also scared. Heck, she wouldn't be surprised if her opponent felt the same. Regardless, the redhead had a little brother to think about and for Takumi... she **WILL** survive no matter the cost!_

 _Soon, the gates opened and Lupin began with introducing the new fighters for the night..._

" _Ladies and gentlemen of the Imperial Capital! Are you ready to be entertained tonight?!" The crowd in the stands cheered loudly in response. "Yes, yes, I love this energy! Tonight, I shall present to you two fresh lambs from the Capital streets and soon they will draw each other towards the slaughter... Tonight, you will witness the ultimate survival of the fittest as the strong will feast upon the weak! **Who** will surviveand **who** will die?"_

 _The redhead swallowed heavily and she felt her mouth dry up in apprehension, and she certainly felt nauseous at this precise moment._

" _On the left corner, weighing at approximately 112.0 pounds, is Nathan Hughes!" Lupin announced, presenting a young fourteen year old boy, who looked beyond terrified as he approached the center of the ring. "And on the right corner, weighing at approximately 105.0 pounds, is Akira!" The crowd erupted in roars as they cheered for the participants. "Now, let the games BEGIN!"_

 _A bell rung and echoed throughout the arena, signaling that the match had begun..._

 _The dirt particles flew wildly in the air. The crowd's jaws remained agape as some cheered as they witnessed Akira's hands tightening around the boy's neck. The redhead's brute strength overwhelming her opponent as Nathan's body was slammed upwards into the air, spit escaping from his mouth as he gagged from being punched in the stomach, air escaping from his lungs from the sudden blow before he railed deeply into the soil like a rag doll. Nathan chocked while remaining pressed against the ground._

" _P-Please... Have mercy!" The boy croaked out, begging. "Please. I have a little sister... I'm all she has left."_

 _At hearing those words, Akira hesitated at delivering the final blow. **Gods... What am I doing? I'm not a killer...** The redhead thought to herself, withdrawing her fists away from her opponent._

 _The crowd went into a displeased frenzy at witnessing the hesitation and act of mercy._

" _Get on with it!"_

" _We paid good money to see blood!"_

" _Crush his skull! Break his teeth! Tear his guts out!"_

 _The complaints continued on and on, and Akira wondered to herself if she was going to go crazy eventually. **I'm not a killer...** She repeated to herself again, the noise and voices around her becoming a mere blur. **I'm not a killer, I'm not a killer, I'm not- I'm not...**_

 _It was then that Lupin spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Imperial Capital! It would seem that Akira needs encouragement... Let's guide this poor lost lamb into the light. There's only **one** way out of this ring! I know it, you know it, and soon enough she will too! Let's tell it to her like it is!"_

 _The crowed followed soon after with a chorus:_

" _Kill..."_

" _Kill."_

" _Kill!"_

" _KILL!"_

" _ **KILL!"**_

 _The chorus continued on in the background and against Akira's better judgment, her mind was made up and her face streamed of bitter tears for what was to come. She looked down towards her opponent, who looked beyond terrified, and deep down he knew. H **e knew** that he would not leave out of here alive._

 _Akira clasped her hands together and brought them up over her head, and without hesitation... She brought her arms down as if she were swinging a hammer onto her opponent's skull and she then proceeded to continuously strike and rake over Nathan's defeated corpse, much to the crowd's utter delight as they cheered with sickening glee and by the end of the outcome Lupin sneered in satisfaction..._

 _All the while Akira cried as she repeatedly whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."_

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Akira's Room**

Akira woke up abruptly during the middle of the night, possibly even early morning even though it was still dark outside. Her entire body ached terribly and her stomach was more than a little upset. She was thankful when her legs were stable enough to hold her weight as she made her way to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

The redhead barely had time to fall to her knees over the toilet before her stomach began to empty itself. She squeezed her eyes shut, sweat forming on her brow. It would be over soon. It had to be over soon. Akira then felt fingers grasp her hair gently and pull it back, followed by a hand being placed on her lower back, slipping beneath her shirt and began to rub slow circles in a soothing manner.

The kickboxer tried to focus her mind on this rather than what her stomach was doing. She could've at least have dignity about it, not that the blonde hadn't seen Akira at her weakest. Apparently her retching, even with the door closed not to mention that the nearest restroom was near the end of the hall was enough to wake Leone, who came bursting into the bathroom. Had it been with anyone else, she would've felt violated but somehow...Akira didn't seem to mind. She had so deeply needed the care that she would have paid any price to receive what was offered to her.

When her stomach seemed to be calm, Akira washed up and brushed her teeth, more than three times to get rid off the vile taste in her mouth. Once she finished, the redhead couldn't help but lean against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor while putting her head in her bandaged hands, clearly feeling too dizzy to do anything else.

The kickboxer then felt a presence kneel in front of her as a hand gently lifted up her chin, coming face-to-face with the outlaw.

"Are you okay, Aki?" Leone asked in concern as her golden eyes looked the redhead over, her cool hands ran over Akira's face and neck in attempt to determine the source of the problem.

"N-No..." Akira shook her head gently, surprised to find herself becoming teary-eyed. "It just happened all of a sudden..." She whispered, suddenly feeling ashamed as she avoided the blonde's gaze.

The lion shifter looked panicked. "Aw, don't cry! I didn't mean to make you cry...!"

Leone looked around the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth, and she then damped it with cool water before wringing out the excess water. She soon returned to Akira's side and held the cloth to her forehead.

The redhead wiped her tears away, feeling guilty at making the blonde fret over her just because of a mere nightmare. As if receiving the injuries from Lupin wasn't bad enough... "No, I'm fine. I just...need to rest." She couldn't help but smile a bit as Leone gently cooled her face off.

After making sure that the kickboxer was alright, the outlaw guided her back to her room and helped her lay down. It was then that Akira noticed that Leone was still by her bedside, awkwardly watching her.

The lion shifter massaged the back of her neck, unsure of what she should be doing. "Can I...get you anything?" She asked.

The kickboxer merely stared back at her.

"I can't really cook..." The blonde shyly admitted as a blush rose up her cheeks. "But, I can find something for you!" She rambled on, trying to fill the awkward silence. "I could go shopping or-"

 **What am I going to do with you?** The redhead thought with a chuckle, finding Leone's rambling and nervousness to be extremely cute, surprisingly so seeing as from the looks of it the outlaw doesn't show her soft side to just _anyone._

Akira couldn't find the words, but she grabbed a hold of Leone's scarf and pulled her down for a kiss. She was certain that the lion shifter understood seeing as her arm gently wrapped around Akira's neck, her free hand laying on her cheek as Leone deepened the kiss, if only slightly before pulling away.

"Wow..." The blonde breathed out in response, still not believing what just happened.

"Yeah. Wow..." The redhead said with a smile before she laid a finger on Leone's lips, silencing whatever words she was going to say. She then looked up and down at the outlaw's appearance. "And about your offer...just lay with me. You look like crap and I won't take no for an answer."

Leone couldn't help but laugh, running her hands through her disheveled short hair. "I know... I look horrible, huh?"

"No. You look gorgeous." Akira spoke honestly, keeping a straight face after saying a blunt compliment.

The lion shifter could've sworn that she felt her heart skip a beat, if only for a moment seeing as she really couldn't tell whether or not the kickboxer was delirious because of her injuries or her fever, but regardless...Leone will take what she could get. After all, the gesture was just as sweet.

"Come on _Leone_ , lay down with me."

 **She called me by my name again...** Leone thought in surprise yet again, deep down feeling overjoyed at hearing her name from the redhead's lips. It sounded so different and genuine compared to how the others say it. **Not to mention, it's certainly ten times better than "Blondie".** She thought to herself with a smile as she settled down under the covers beside Akira, being careful in not to cause her discomfort.

The redhead snuggled close to the the outlaw and laid her head on Leone's chest, listening to her heartbeat. "You're so warm..." She murmured quietly, letting the rhythm dance on her mind until she was lulled to sleep.

Leone merely smiled as she kissed the top of Akira's head, gently trailing her fingers through soft wavy locks while holding the young girl close. Admittedly, the last few days have been kind of crazy for the blonde. An emotional roller coaster ride from anger, disbelief, disappointment, guilt, sorrow, and finally concern and all of it was towards a certain redhead, whom the lion shifter thinks she is getting attached to with each passing day. And deep down, she wonders if they could be something more. Their first kiss was by accident, but by the second time...Leone couldn't help but be addicted in wanting so much more, especially since it was so sudden and a pleasant surprise to be sure.

 **This girl drives me crazy in so many ways... It's bad enough that she's so hard to read sometimes.** The outlaw thought as she sighed quietly, and she then suddenly growled possessively.

A foul smell lingered around Akira, specifically on the kickboxer's shoulder injury, where the Lupin bastard had bitten her. It had kept Leone restless for days. What irritated the blonde most was that a complete stranger, a corrupted criminal no less had the nerve to claim what was _hers!_

Okay sure, Akira doesn't belong to her in any way but Leone will be DAMNED if she leaves this matter untouched! The scent is driving her insane and the lion shifter doesn't think she could just ignore it, it wasn't in her nature. She then looked down at her left palm as she remembered the last of Akira's escape attempts, chuckling as she recalled the redhead licking the palm of her hand to see if Leone would let go...

An idea dawned in the outlaw's mind as she looked down at the sleeping girl, who was softly snoring and deep in slumber by this point. Leone's plan becoming all the more tantalizing when Akira turned her head, exposing her neck to the lion shifter.

 **It's only fair...** Leone thought to herself, swallowing rather heavily as her golden eyes clouded with desire. **You marked me first, so it's only natural that I get to return the favor...**

The blonde leaned down and let her lips trail down Akira's neck, nipping until she reached the redhead's collarbone. Akira whimpered, flinching as her body tensed a bit in the outlaw's arms when Leone had bitten her, she had bitten hard though it wasn't to the point where the kickboxer would awaken from her slumber.

The lion shifter was sure that the mark would be there a while. Satisfied with her handy work, Leone began to caress the spot with her tongue, smiling a bit when she felt Akira's body relax in her embrace once more. This was crazy. Of course, Leone knew that. Come morning and Akira would probably yell at her again, but even so there was only one thought on the outlaw's mind...

 **I won't _ever_ let you go again...**

* * *

 **A/N2: That's all for chapter 8 folks! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! Come on guys, I don't bite. Do you love it? Hate it? Is there ANYTHING I can improve on? Or, you guys could just give me romantic/hang out moments for both Leone and Akira for the next chapter or future chapters? Whether it's silly banter or not, anything would be wonderful. Your comments always make my day and I really want to know what you guys think so that I can improve to make more interesting content for you guys. Believe it or not, each review gives me the motivation to write more chapters!**

 **Also for the next chapter, I'm going to re-write Sheele's extra chapter "Kill the Blackness" with my own little spin on things (I'm mostly meaning adding Akira and Takumi with their own little moments on the side) and you can expect Bulat's extra chapter "Kill the Mad Swordsman" for chapter 10 as well. I decided to do the extra chapters first because it felt like a first thing I've got to do for this re-write before I start adding episodes/chapters 4 and 5, "Kill the Relic User" and "Kill the Absolute Justice", from the series cause by then we'll FINALLY start heading to the story's plot. That's enough banter for now, until next time! ;)**


	9. Kill the Blackness Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome.**

 **Also, some parts of this chapter will be mostly filler but as the chapter goes you will notice that the events will be based on Sheele's extra chapter "Kill the Blackness" only with Akira and Takumi added into the mix. Please keep in mind that I am doing the extra chapters early because it just felt like a first thing to do for me. I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Kill the Blackness Pt. 1**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Akira's Room**

Akira still laid in bed, laying on her side while trying to find the will to get up but her body seems to be comfortable enough to remain in bed. She wasn't tired though since she mostly slept the day away, but it was early evening and admittedly she was starting to get hungry. The redhead reached over to the side of the bed where Leone had been laying the night before. The blonde's warmth was long since gone and Akira figured that maybe she had a mission or something among those lines.

 **Seriously... I sometimes wonder if I'm getting too attached.** The kickboxer thought with a sigh, slowly sitting up in bed. **Regardless, it was a good thing that she left. I felt like I really wasn't myself last night...**

At this moment, the sudden want that she felt for Leone and the empty side of her bed was a blatant reminder that the want she felt wasn't reciprocated and for Akira that was probably a good thing. She wouldn't think if she'd be ready for a proper relationship with another person. Not after...

Akira sighed once again before slowly getting up from her bed and got dressed, her stomach ultimately winning the battle, and as she got dressed she noticed something. "Huh? Where's my bandana?"

The redhead then started a frantic search in her room. Her drawers, her desk, underneath her bed, etc. Anywhere she could think of, only to come up with nothing...

 **That was the only thing I have of...** The kickboxer's posture deflated a bit. "Damn it...!" She cursed at her inattentiveness.

Akira figured that she must've lost it on the night when she got hurt by Lupin. Possibly by his razor, sharp bite in his wolf form along with the struggle between them two her bandana must've come off, probably torn to shreds or simply it was left at that restaurant in the Red Light District, and she highly doubts that one of the Night Raid members must've gotten it due to the fact that they had to get out of there in a hurry. Who knows?

Deciding not to mope about it for much longer, Akira sighed as she left her room.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room**

On the way to the kitchen however, Akira couldn't help but stop in her tracks once she heard her boss yelling up a storm through the double doors, followed by a metallic thump which the kickboxer assumed to be Najenda smacking someone on the head with her mechanical arm.

 **I know that eavesdropping is considered to be bad manners but... Okay, maybe just a little peek.** The redhead thought as she gave in to her curiosity, crouching while opening the double doors a crack so that she could listen in and have a look.

Inside, Sheele looked rather nervous and tense as she watched the argument unfold in front of her.

"And why did you take that girl back to our hideout, you idiot?!" Najenda scolded Tatsumi, who sat back on his knees in pain because of the bump on his head.

"Bu-But," The swordsman mumbled out as he tried to plead his case. "How could we just leave her?"

The older woman sighed as she lighted up a cigar. "Sheesh... Do you really think of yourself as an Assassin?"

"Bu-But regardless whether we're Assassins or not, aren't we part of the Revolution that exists for the betterment of the country? Don't we exist for the people?" The brunette insisted.

The Ex general merely smiled. Though it didn't seem to be a kind smile before she proceed to grab Tatsumi into a hold, the poor boy wailing out in pain all the while. "And if our hideout's location is revealed, that Revolution will disappear like morning dew!" She countered him.

"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry!" Tatsumi apologized as he grunted in pain. "We verified that she really is blind, and we also plugged her ears on the way here." He explained. "Big sis smelled her and she didn't have a suspicious scent... And no one was tailing us..."

"I don't care how much checking you did, there is absolutely no reason to bring a commoner here! Don't do this again!" Najenda scolded him once again.

Tatsumi bowed in apology. "Y-Yes ma'am..."

The Ex military woman puffed and exhaled her smoke before ultimately sighing. **Well, if she's blind, we can just have Akame monitor her closely and hide our true identity. We'll be fine this time but...**

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway Akira was left flabbergasted as she gently closed the double doors.

" _Are you serious?"_ The redhead whispered to herself incredulously. _"If the situation were a bit different and on the humorous side, I'd say they staged another kidnapping."_ She then chuckled a bit. _"Though, I don't think Tatsumi would appreciate my light stab at a joke."_

The kickboxer then felt a presence behind her, leaning close to her ear. _"What are you doing?"_ A familiar voice asked her by a whisper, sending shivers up Akira's spine.

Akira let out a scared yelp as she instantly stood up. Too fast from the looks of it seeing as the bandages on her injuries got pulled a bit from the sudden movement, and so she grunted as she laid a hand on her shoulder before turning around to look at the culprit.

 **Of course...** The redhead thought with a roll of her eyes, witnessing a certain outlaw trying to hold back a snicker. "That wasn't funny, Blondie. I could've opened my wounds..."

"My bad. I couldn't resist!" Leone apologized with a small smirk. **She didn't call me by my name this time... I guess it's back to "Blondie" again.** She realized in slight disappointment. "Mind telling me why you're sneaking around?"

"What? Me, sneaking around? Pfft. I was heading to the kitchen." The kickboxer dodged the question, trying to play it cool.

The blonde looked amused, already seeing through Akira's little lie. "Hmm-Hmm. Yeah well, this is not the kitchen. It's the hallway."

"Fine. You've caught me. I was...eavesdropping." Akira admitted. "I was on my way to the kitchen 'till I walked by and overheard the Boss yell at Tatsumi for bringing a commoner over. My curiosity got the better of me..."

Leone merely laughed as she gently tapped the redhead's nose. "I believe you. You're so cute when you're honest, Aki!" She cooed.

"S-Shut up!" The kickboxer muttered as she blushed in embarrassment.

The outlaw's face then settled into a serious look. "How are you feeling? I'd say you look much better compared to the other nights you've spent recovering, but I want to hear it from you."

"Truth? I still don't feel very well." The redhead told her honestly. "I just want to get some dinner and hit the hay early..."

All of a sudden, Akira felt Leone's hand on her forehead.

The kickboxer was surprised and she merely blinked as she watched the blonde's face morph in determination. **Okay...either she doesn't believe me or she still wants to make sure herself?** She thought in wonder, a tad bit annoyed but she remained still despite it all.

Akira's skin was mostly cool to the touch, though the lion shifter could still feel warmth present, but she felt confident that the redhead's fever would be fully gone by tomorrow.

"You're still a bit warmer than I'd like..." Leone commented worriedly, but she smiled a bit regardless as she patted the top of Akira's head, and she then started to walk ahead. "Come on, let's head to the kitchen."

"O-Okay..." Akira responded as she followed after the blonde.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Dining Room**

Later on in the evening all of the Night Raid members along with Takumi and their new visitor, Nea, gathered into the dining room to eat dinner. After they've all finished, Akame and Tatsumi gathered most of the plates up and headed to the kitchen to clean up while the other members proceeded to have a chat with the young girl to get to know her a bit better.

"Not only did you save me, but you also gave me this delicious meal... Thank you so much." The pig-tailed girl thanked them once again.

"So, we're Hunters, but where do you come from, Nea?" Lubbock asked her, crossing his arms.

"I'm from Enn Village." Nea responded.

"Enn Village..." Mine mumbled out loud in thought. "Enn is...I think much further south from here." She stated.

"Yes...I wanted to visit my father, who left the village to earn money..." The young girl told them.

"And who were those men who were bothering you?" Sheele asked her.

"They said they were going to take me to the Capital, but their attitude suddenly changed along the way..." Nea replied, still trying to figure it out by herself but she couldn't.

The sniper shook her head in disapproval. "That's terrible..."

"But you shouldn't have tried to do this on your own with your physical condition in the first place." Lubbock gently told the girl, clearly emphasizing his concern for her.

"But..." The young girl hung her head low. "My father is the only family I have left..."

A sudden uneasy silence filled the room for a moment.

"Well, if he's in the Capital, then it's simple." Leone spoke, breaking the silence as she put her hands behind her head, leaning back against her seat. "Tell us your father's name and what he looks like later."

Nea's head shot up in surprise by the outlaw's answer. "O-Okay."

"I'm going to the Capital tomorrow anyway, so I'll help you look for him then." The wired tactician offered his services.

"No...you don't have to..." The pig-tailed girl said insistently, frantically waving her hands in attempt to tell him no. "If you'll take me there, I'll..."

"That's not a good idea." Sheele suddenly spoke up again, taking a sip from her coffee.

"She's right." Lubbock nodded his head in agreement, realizing the schere wielder's train of thought. "Nea's really cute, so people like those men from earlier might take advantage of her again."

Akira couldn't help but shake her head, a small smile present on her face. **I can't tell whether he's overly concerned or maybe he's just being well...Lubbock.**

"Either way, you're tired from your journey, right? You can rest up here." Leone told the young girl.

"Is this really okay...?" Nea asked uneasily, still nervous about the sudden offer. "I really don't have any money..."

"We don't need any, we just want to help." Bulat reassured her.

"Tha..." The pig-tailed girl was at a loss for words. "Thank you so much... Thank you so much." She repeated once again in gratitude.

 **Either way, now that she's here at the hideout, we can't let her go until we're absolutely certain that she's innocent...** Lubbock thought cautiously and rationally as he sighed while scratching the back of his head.

"Well then, you'll probably want someone to play with while you're here, right?" Bulat spoke up, looking for potential playmates. "Aka-"

Sheele's hand shot up rather excitedly. "I'll do it!"

"Oh? You seem eager." The veteran smiled at the schere wielder's enthusiasm.

"Tatsumi and I were the ones who brought Nea here, and I more or less don't have anything to do while we're in the hideout." The lilac haired assassin volunteered, much to Mine's surprise and slight disappointment.

Regardless, the sniper respected her decision. "If that's what you want Sheele, then it's fine with me."

"Mine..." Sheele was certainly touched by the pinklette's blessing of sorts, smiling so when Mine purposely turned her head away as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You're so nice to Sheele." Leone couldn't help but tease the sniper, who sent a glare right back at the blonde.

"I'll provide backup support if you need me to!" Akame offered her assistance in a rather serious manner.

"Yeah, now that I've actually thought about it, it would've been really hard on Nea if you were her playmate." Bulat chuckled a bit at the disaster that could've happened. "Alright then, it's decided. We'll leave her to you, Sheele."

"You'll probably be here a while, so let me show you around!" Sheele offered as she took a hold of Nea's hand, escorting her out of the room.

"Ye...Yes." Nea nodded her head as she followed behind her escort. "Um, if there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it!" She offered.

The schere wielder merely smiled as she gently patted the young girl's head. "Let's just take it nice and easy, okay?"

"Okay..." The pig-tailed girl smiled, blushing a bit before lifting her head up. "But really, if there's anything please let me know." She insisted. "I can do simple cleaning and cooking too..."

The lilac haired assassin gasped in surprise. "What?! Yo-You're more skilled than I am?!"

And with that, both Sheele and Nea had left the dinning room. Some of the remaining Night Raid members resumed their previous activities meanwhile Takumi sat rather restlessly in his seat, debating whether or not to follow the girls.

Akira smiled a bit as she patted her little brother on the head. "You know that you can go with them, right Takumi?"

"Do-Do you think it will be alright?" The ten year old asked shyly, a small blush rising up his cheeks as he nervously played with his thumbs.

"I don't see why not." The redhead told him. "You and Nea are about the same age, and she seems like a sweet girl. Why don't you go and be friends with her? It must be boring hanging out with us adults all the time, huh?"

"You're not boring. The others aren't boring either." Takumi said honestly.

"The fact of the matter is that it's important for you to make friends around your age. You may not have another opportunity like this for a good while." The kickboxer reasoned with him, deep down knowing that they can't exactly leave the hideout until the Revolution was over and who knows when that will be, it obviously won't be over any time soon. "You're a kid. And as your big sister, I want you to continue being a kid. Just until you finally decide for yourself to start acting like a grown up. Can you do that for me?"

"I guess I can." The redheaded boy responded with a shrug.

Akira inclined her head towards the door, giving Takumi permission to leave. "Go on. Have fun and be nice, okay?"

"I will." The ten year old promised, being careful as he hugged his older sister before he ran off.

"That was nice of you." Mine couldn't help but comment once the young boy left.

"You think so? I kind of feel stupid for saying all of that now that I've actually thought about it..." The redhead quietly admitted. "I mean, sure, Takumi will have a friend around his age but...it still doesn't change the fact that Nea will have to leave once she's reunited with her father. I just...don't want him to be sad for when she leaves, you know."

"It wasn't stupid. You thought what would be best for him and you gave him the encouragement to pursue that friendship. Like you said before, Takumi might not have another opportunity like this for a good while. Sure, it will mean that he'll have to say goodbye, but it won't be forever. If anything, Takumi has something to look forward to once the Revolution is over." The sniper assured her with confidence. "Who knows? Takumi and Nea might see each other again and pick up where they left off. What I'm trying to say is... Try not to worry so much, okay Akira?"

The kickboxer smiled a bit as she sipped a bit of her coffee. "You're right. Thank you, Mine. You know, you have you're moments sometimes but you can be a real sweetheart, you know that?"

"What are you talking about? I'm ALWAYS a sweetheart!" The pinklette said insistently, all of a sudden getting defensive.

"Uh-huh... Keep telling yourself that, _'sweetheart'_." Akira commented rather playfully, though Mine couldn't really tell if she was being playful or not.

"Are you being sarcastic?" The sniper asked her accusingly.

The redhead merely chuckled. "That depends entirely on you."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Playroom**

Sometime later, Takumi managed to catch up with the girls. Feeling brave, the redheaded boy decided to make his presence known. "Hello girls."

"Oh, Takumi. It's good to see you." Sheele smiled at him in greeting. "I was telling Nea all the kinds of toys you have, I hope that you don't mind..."

"It's okay. I don't mind sharing." Takumi reassured her.

"Who's this?" Nea kindly asked the lilac haired assassin, not recognizing the ten year old's voice. "Was he here during dinner?"

"Yes, he was. Nea, this is Takumi, Akira's little brother." The schere wielder introduced him. "I guess he was just a bit shy to strike up a conversation with you earlier."

The redheaded boy's face was as red as his own hair color. "I-I wasn't shy!"

"Okay, may~be he was or may~be he wasn't." Sheele couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the back of her hand.

Takumi pouted a bit. "Sheele...!"

"I was only teasing, Takumi." The lilac haired assassin told him as she stood up from her spot on the floor, heading over to the young boy to pat his head. "Could you please stay with Nea for a bit? We want to take a bath soon and we can't exactly do that unless I can get a certain someone under control..."

"You got it. I'll stay with her." The redheaded boy responded.

Sheele smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

As the schere wielder left, Takumi headed on over to where Nea sat on the floor. He settled down in a cross-legged position and he couldn't help but simply stare at the country bumpkin in front of him. Admittedly, she was very pretty or at least he personally thought so just by looking at her. Black silky hair and her eyes have a lilac hue despite their glassy outlook, which for Takumi it made them all the more beautiful to look at.

"T-Takumi, it's not very polite to stare..." Nea muttered out shyly, blushing so as she felt the boy's gaze on her.

The redheaded boy merely gasped in surprise. "How'd you know?!"

"You're really quiet for one, and I can 'feel' you staring at me." The pig-tailed girl couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh. Sorry about that..." Takumi apologized while blushing in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head, and he then tried to make conversation with her. "So, uh Nea, you're from the countryside, right? Outside of the Capital?"

"Yes, I am." Nea responded as she nodded her head. "I'm from Enn Village."

"I've never been outside of the Capital...but I'd like to someday." The ten year old commented. "How's it like to live on the countryside, Nea?" He asked her with genuine curiosity.

"I think you'll love it Takumi! It's so open and spacious with grass plains going out for miles, it's pretty good for farmland, and you can certainly feel the fresh air. Lots of folks would say otherwise since living in the countryside is quite different than living in the Imperial Capital so obviously that kind of lifestyle isn't for everyone." The young girl told him.

Takumi seemed interested. "How so?"

"The countryside is pretty much isolated from the city for starters." Nea began to explain. "Some folks prefer it that way because it's quiet, but that doesn't mean that it'll be easy living. In my village we grow lots of crops to keep ourselves fed, but even then that doesn't mean that we won't get our fair share of problems with the weather, wild animals, bugs, bandits, and sometimes even Danger Beasts. On the bright side though, the people in my village look out for one another so it's bearable, not to mention that they're very nice people."

"That sounds a lot better compared to the Capital." The redheaded boy replied as he laid down on his back on the floor. "It's noisy at almost all hours of the day, as if this entire Empire doesn't even sleep. The air is stuffy with so many people living in the Capital that it feels like I'm stuck inside a paper bag and I could hardly breathe. There are nothing but walls, residences, and establishments all around us so there's not much nature and fauna here, not to mention the economy is bad. Man, what I wouldn't give just to roam around and stretch my legs..." He finished off in a longing tone, and he then noticed that it was his turn to be 'stared' at, but more like Nea turned her head towards the sound of his voice.

"Takumi..." The pig-tailed girl called out to him worriedly.

Takumi instantly sat up while waving his hands rather frantically, not that Nea could see the gesture. "Bu-But that's just what most people think!" He spoke insistently as a blush of embarrassment rose up his cheeks, and so he desperately changed the subject. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking..."

"I'm ten, for now." Nea responded with a smile. "I'll be eleven sometime in Winter."

"Wow! We're the same age, but you're older than me!" The young boy exclaimed in surprise.

The ten year old girl stifled a giggle at the back of her hand. "You're so silly, Takumi! So... Have you and the other members of your group been Hunters all your lives or you guys have recently started this occupation?"

"We have been doing this for quite a while. Sometimes we hunt for food or we hunt dangerous Danger Beasts, you know so that we can make armor and stuff with their remains." Takumi replied casually, almost stumped by the sudden question. **I need to keep up with our Hunter charade...** He reminded himself, Night Raid's true identity needs to be concealed. No matter what. "Although, my sister keeps insisting that I'm too young to start hunting yet..."

"I see." Nea nodded in understanding. "I'm sure that your sister just wants to look out for you."

"I know. It's just...I sometimes wish that she doesn't treat me like a kid all the time, and it's not like I don't appreciate her concern but I need to grow up sometime. She won't be able to protect me forever, obviously..." The redheaded boy muttered out rather darkly.

Nea looked like she was about to respond until the door to the play room suddenly opened, revealing that Sheele had returned.

"Oh, my! What's this?" The lilac haired assassin spoke out in surprise, having a pleasant smile. "It seems like you two are getting along, I'm glad for that."

"Yep!" It was Takumi's turn to smile, standing up on his feet. "Nea's a cute gal! I hope that we can play some more tomorrow, if that's alright of course..."

"Of course! I think she would like that, right Nea?" Sheele turned to face the young girl.

Nea blushed a bit from hearing Takumi's compliment before she found the words to respond Sheele's question. "Yes, that would be nice."

The schere wielder smiled yet again. "Excellent! If you want, you and I can start heading off towards the hot springs if you'd like a bath?"

"That sounds lovely. Thank you, Miss Sheele." The pig-tailed girl said in gratitude as she rose up from the floor. Before she headed out, Nea spoke out to the young boy. "Have a goodnight, Takumi. I'm looking forward to hanging out with you tomorrow."

"Me too, Nea!" The ten year old responded with a goofy grin. "Goodnight."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room**

"The newest target we've been requested to eliminate is Tonto, who runs a Curio shop." Najenda started briefing Leone and Lubbock.

"He's supposedly a reputable, popular shop master who even donates his money." The outlaw remarked from the rumors she's heard.

The wired tactician sighed. "Anooother guy with a hidden face?"

"...He arrived at the Capital about a year ago, and his business is doing well, but his startup fund came from robberies across the country." The Ex general explained. "A survivor from one of his robberies tenaciously searched for who was behind it, and made a request."

"So it's another case of a seemingly honest man with a dark past?" Lubbock inquired.

Leone to say the least looked very excited for this job. "Okay. I'll investigate and find proof of his offenses."

"This is our first job in a long time." Najenda spoke as she looked down at the request letter intently.

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Dining Room (Later, that same evening)**

"What?! Sheele let that girl sleep in her own bed?" Mine gasped in surprise.

"Yep." Tatsumi responded amusingly as he sat down next to her. "She really does look after her, doesn't she?"

The sniper merely looked down at her coffee mug. "...Really. She's a little too kind for an Assassin."

The swordsman was quiet for a moment before he decided to speak again. "Are you jealous? That an outsider stole Sheele from you?" He teased, grinning all the while.

 **This possibly cannot end well...** Akira thought from her own seat as she drank her coffee, she'd stake her intuition on it.

Not even three seconds, and poor Tatsumi got decked in the face by Mine, who huffily got up from her seat and simply stomped as she left the room. Not without saying goodbye to the redhead of course...

"I'm leaving! I am not dealing with this idiot any more than I have to..." The pinklette complained before turning towards the kickboxer. "Thank you for chatting with me, Akira. I hope you feel better soon. Goodnight."

"No problem. And thank you for the pep talk earlier, I needed that. Goodnight, Mine." Akira smiled at Mine as she left. "Thanks again."

"You really do say stuff that earns you a punch to the face from time to time." Bulat commented as he looked down upon a pained Tatsumi, who was still on his knees while holding his aching face.

"N-No, I didn't think I was actually right..." The brunette grunted.

"It's not a romantic love, but Sheele is like a partner to Mine. Of course she can get jealous too." The veteran spoke knowingly with a dazzling smile before he directed his handsome gaze to the swordsman. "Well, I wouldn't judge anyone who does have a romantic love between the same gender!"

Tatsumi looked a bit unsettled as he suddenly got up and started heading out of the room, possibly not wanting to deal with his brother figure when it comes to his flirting. "I...I'm going to sleep too."

 **Tatsumi. I like you, love you even, but you... You're lucky, cute, smart given your moments, but overall you're a fucking bastard!** Akira thought resentfully, given her jealousy. **I can definitely see where Lubbock is coming from with Tatsumi having the girls flock on to him, however...I don't care about that. What bothers me is that he has a handsome specimen trying to put the moves on him and Tatsumi doesn't even give Bulat the time of day?! I mean, sure, Tatsumi obviously doesn't swing that way, but still! What I wouldn't give to be in Tatsumi's shoes right now...** The redhead sighed. **Sometimes, reality really stinks...**

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Outside Riverbank**

The following day at around noon, Akira felt well enough to walk around and start going outside. She volunteered to help Mine out with a couple of chores, much to the sniper's reluctance and insisting that she could do it by herself, but regardless the redhead followed her anyway. She figured Mine not only needed the help, but also company seeing as Sheele was temporarily 'kidnapped' from her for the time being.

"Damn! Sheele's really messy when it comes to assassinations, huh?" Akira couldn't help but comment as she scrubbed Sheele's clothes against the metal washboard, trying to get the bloodstains out.

"Yeah well, Extase is not exactly a 'clean' weapon when it comes to executing your enemies." Mine responded as she washed her own share of clothes on her side. "Are you sure that you're well enough to help me do the laundry?" She asked worriedly as she eyed the redhead, who was struggling a bit to scrub down clothes.

The kickboxer grinned a bit, stopping to massage her shoulder and flex her right arm. "Worried about my shoulder are ya?"

"How could I not be? You had to get stitches, and the last thing I want is for the stitches to come undone because you aren't resting!" The sniper lightly scolded her, a blush rising up her cheeks in embarrassment for being caught in showing concern.

"It's not like I'm going out on a mission or training my butt off at the training field. I'm just helping you out with chores. Is that so bad?" Akira merely smiled at the pinklette as she resumed her previous task, acting as if it wasn't a big deal. "If anything, this is a light work out for me. It's been four days since I've received these injuries from Lupin and quite frankly...I think I've had enough bed rest. I want to move around."

"Fine." Mine relented, sighing in defeat as she went back to work herself. "But if you start feeling tired or you're just not feeling well, you'll let me know, understand?"

"Yes ma'am." The redhead promised. "I wouldn't want you to nag at me 'till my ears bleed..."

"Good." The sniper nodded firmly.

"So, it must be pretty lonely for you, huh?" The kickboxer asked. "Without Sheele, I mean." She clarified.

The pinklette sighed longingly. "Yes. I'm not going to lie, I miss her..."

"I figured." Akira responded with a small smile.

"Which makes me wonder... Are you hanging out with me because I was lonely without Sheele?" Mine asked a question of her own. "It's okay. I promise I won't be mad at you... Was I that obvious?"

"A bit." The redhead admitted to her.

The sniper chuckled a bit. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm getting soft..."

"Caring about others isn't a weakness, Mine. You just really care about Sheele." The kickboxer stated. "She'll be busy watching and entertaining Nea for a while, but if you want...I can be her stand-in 'till then."

"Now look who's getting soft." The pinklette teased, gently nudging her companion.

"Hey, I'm not sure about you, but we both tend to wear our hearts on our sleeves." Akira told her straight out.

Mine shook her head in denial, blushing all the while. "I do not!"

"Yeah well, your face tells me otherwise." The redhead smirked teasing right back.

"S-Shut up!" The sniper groaned. "God, you're the worst!"

"And, I'll take that as a compliment!" The kickboxer took the comment with stride, and she then changed the subject. "Now uh... By any chance, are you finished watching the clothes for the boys?"

"No..." The pinklette didn't like where this conversation was heading. **I have a bad feeling about this...** "Why you ask?"

"Oh, nothing." Akira responded, almost innocently. "I'm all finished over here on my side, and I just wanted to offer my services to you is all. I could maybe help you out and wash out Tatsumi's clothes or Lubbock's, Takumi's, _**Handsome's...**_ "

"No!" Mine practically yelled at her. "Geez, you're worse than Lubbock!"

"On what terms? Last time I checked, Lubbock isn't gay." The redhead responded nonchalantly, not seeing what the problem was.

The sniper sent a scowl her way. "I meant that you're a pervert."

"For a certain someone I guess, but I'm pretty much tamed when it comes to my lecherous thoughts..." The kickboxer commented as she gave a smug grin, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

The pinklette merely shook her head in disapproval as she threw a wet blue cloth to Akira's face, causing it to make a sort of a slapping sound as it hit its target.

Akira laughed a bit before removing the cloth from her face, only to realize that it was actually her blue bandana. Her azure eyes started welling up with tears. "I-I thought I lost this..."

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you, but it was very bloody on the night when you got hurt..." Mine apologized and began to explain. "I wanted to keep it as a surprise for you, but you insisted in helping me out with the laundry and obviously I couldn't keep it as a surprised any more. Luckily for you, that bandana wasn't torn to shreds by Lupin's bite."

"This is the only thing I have left of my mom, but previously it used to belong to my dad, who gave it to her the moment they started dating before eventually my mother passed it onto me... It's the only thing I have left to remember my parents by..." The redhead spoke quietly, but loud enough for the pinklette to hear. "Thanks Mine, you're a real sweetheart. No sarcasm this time." She thanked her with a smile.

The sniper returned the smile with one of her own. "No problem."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Main Street**

For the rest of the day most of the Night Raid members headed to the Capital and decided to split up into pairs to try and find Nea's father, except for Sheele, who stayed back at the hideout with both Nea and Takumi. Akira and Leone decided to start checking in Main Street, where eventually they wandered into a Curio shop named Tonto. The redhead had never been into an antique shop before, not counting the fact that it was her very first time stepping into Main Street. She just never felt the need to be near this part of the Capital where it was heavily guarded by Imperial Guards almost 24/7.

The pair is currently browsing through the shop without trying to look suspicious at the blonde's insistence, much to the kickboxer's confusion but she didn't argue. The Curio shop was rather popular seeing as it was almost full to the brim with people looking over the merchandise.

The establishment wasn't exactly small but it was big enough to store all kinds of artifacts from furniture to historic paintings, scrolls, books, weapons, and even fine china. Any item that you could possibly think of and all of them looked to be over a hundred years at first glance, possibly over a thousand give or take.

"Are you serious? This is your first time in Main Street?" The outlaw asked out in surprise, pretending to look interested on a thousand year old painting.

"Dead serious. I may be a local just by being born and raised within the Imperial Capital, but that doesn't mean that I know the place like the back of my hand, and even then I think it's a good thing that I don't. I highly doubt that the Empire has anything good to offer..." Akira responded rather bitterly, it wasn't directed towards the lion shifter though, she was just speaking out her true feelings. "Is there even any good left in this place?"

"Tatsumi's right, you really are cynical for a nineteen year old." Leone commented softly.

The redhead merely chuckled as she put her hands into her hoodie's pockets. "I guess life has made me into a pessimist..." She spoke rather quietly.

"Aki, I'm sorry... That's not what I meant." The blonde apologized to her, all of a sudden feeling guilty.

"It's fine." Akira reassured her. "So, I'm guessing that you disagree about my view of the Capital?"

"I guess, I mean, sure, the place is messed up down to it's very core but what I'm trying to say is...there are good things too." Leone told her.

The kickboxer looked skeptical, but she still listened. "Like what?"

"Well, I obviously can't speak for the other districts but I can talk about my neighborhood. The people there are nice and they're very lively. Like, no matter what kind of bullshit comes their way, they'll pull through as long as they have each other." The outlaw spoke fondly of her home district. "What I'm trying to say is, yeah, things might look bad right now but the way I see things is that the good will always outweigh the bad. Some people have faith while others like to stand on their own two feet and make it happen."

"Just like how you joined Night Raid?" Akira inquired.

Leone was about to respond until the Curio shop owner, Mr. Tonto, approached them. "Are you ladies finding everything okay?" He asked them, offering his services if needed.

"Ah, yes, everything's fine." The lion shifter responded to him rather graciously. "But, I was hoping if you could maybe show me what your shop has to offer, if it's not too much trouble..."

Mr. Tonto smiled in kind. "Of course, madame. Right this way."

As Leone left with the shop owner, the redhead stood alone with her thoughts. She sighed before looking up at the antique painting. **The good will always outweigh the bad, huh?** She thought to herself, recalling the blonde's words. It's not that she didn't believe in Leone's words, but somewhere at the back of her mind...made her think otherwise. "I need some air..."

The kickboxer headed outside the shop and leaned against the wall by the shop's entrance. She closed her eyes for moment before opening them again as she looked some civilians pass by going through their day like normal, entering and exiting different shops in the area, and there were a couple of Imperial Guards patrolling Main Street. Akira moved her gaze towards somewhere else every so often as to not stare at the guards too much and draw attention to herself, all the while having a deep scowl on her face.

 **The good will always outweigh the bad. I know that she's right, but... Why do I feel so angry, bitter even?** The redhead wondered to herself as her mind wandered to a dark place, reminding her of her time of imprisonment with Lupin. Days in where she constantly prayed to be saved, days where she wished to be put out of her misery, days where she begged to keep her sanity intact, and days where she felt sheer amount of guilt in her 'participation' for Lupin's fucked up game...

All of a sudden, she felt her eyes water up with tears and Akira fiercely wiped them away.

 **How many lives have I taken, snuffed out, ripped away? It was so long ago and yet... It feels like it was almost yesterday that I was closed up in a cage like an animal.** The kickboxer thought numbly as her bandaged hands tightened into fists, her fingernails digging into the palm of her hands until they drew blood. **At times, I got beaten almost to a bloody pulp, and some days I didn't even get to eat or drink any water if my performance wasn't satisfactory in Lupin's eyes. Those days were the worst for me because it simply meant if I didn't do well in my fights or if I was defiant with Lupin, I didn't get to see Takumi...**

Akira then let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. **To this day, I still wonder if Lupin had done anything to him, but Takumi hasn't said a word and insists on putting on a brave face. And simply not knowing what he went through, hurts me the most... Tell me. Did he hurt you? Did I do something wrong? Was I strong enough to protect you or was I weak to do so? If so, then just... Tell me.**

"Just tell me..." The redhead whispered softly to herself, leaning her head back against the wall as her mind was still somewhere else. "Please, tell me so that maybe I can lessen this burden of mine. Maybe, just maybe, it can lift off my shoulders just a little bit... I'll probably be able to stand up? Breathe? See the world with clarity? I don't know."

Then out of the corner of her eye, Akira spotted a particular male going down the street. The man wore a white attire and looked to be an apprentice of some sort at first glance. He has black hair and lilac eyes, a striking resemblance to...

 **Is that Nea's father...?** The kickboxer thought in wonder as her azure eyes widened, darting into a mad sprint after the man. "Excuse me, sir!"

The apprentice continued walking with his grocery bags in hand, probably not hearing her through the crowd of people, and Akira seemed to be having a bit of a hard time getting to him through the mass of civilians. She moved through the crowd as fast as she could while saying, "Excuse me" and "Pardon me", 'till eventually the redhead ran into someone and fell on her ass. Unfortunately for her, it was an Imperial Guard...

"Hey! Watch where you're going girl!" The guard practically barked out angrily, not even trying to help Akira stand up.

 **Well, aren't you a rude piece of shit?** The kickboxer thought irritably as she stood up on her feet, but admittedly it was indeed her fault and so she apologized. "I'm sorry about that. I really need to pay more attention to where I'm going." She then started to walk away. "Please excuse me."

Akira then felt a strong hand on her injured shoulder, and she could feel his strong grip irritating her stitches. She was then forced to face him as the guard did a firm tug to spun her around.

"Aw no, I don't think a simple 'sorry' would do you any good here girly..." The Imperial Guard lamented to inform, still not letting up on his hold.

"Listen buddy, I don't want any trouble here..." The redhead told him, briefly looking off to the side enough to notice that their little squabble was stirring up some attention from bystanders, which made her feel nervous and tense under their gaze."I apologized, okay? I'm really sorry! Can you let me go? You're hurting me..."

The guard all of a sudden grabbed a fist full of Akira's hoodie, lifting her up to the point where her feet couldn't touch the ground. "You already found trouble the moment you ran into me, girly! I oughta kick your ass to the curve!" He yelled as he threw Akira down to the ground and proceeded to give strong, nasty kicks to her ribs. "You're not even worthy enough to lick my boots!"

Under normal circumstances, the kickboxer would've fought back but since she's a member of Night Raid now she really didn't think it would be wise to cause a scene, and the last thing Akira wanted was to get arrested and have her own fucking wanted poster early. Not to mention, she really didn't want to answer whatever questions they'd have in mind if she was arrested, and so she decided to just take the beating until the bastard was damn satisfied with himself. But as fate would have it...

"HEY!"

The Imperial Guard stopped what he was doing and turned around to face the newcomer.

"What the hell do you want?!" The guard barked out angrily, of course that was before he went pale all of sudden at this certain newcomer's presence. "Ubiquitous! I-I didn't know that you were patrolling around this area, ma'am!" The guard spoke out nervously as he went into attention and gave his fellow comrade a formal salute.

"At ease, soldier!"

Upon command, the Imperial Guard relaxed his posture.

"Koro and I have finished patrolling the slums and we thought that we should lend our fellow comrades a helping hand." The female guard that was referred to as Ubiquitous explained, before she turned her amber gaze down towards a beaten Akira, who stayed put on the ground in a fetal position. "And, who is this? An evil doer?" She inquired.

"Ah, not exactly..." The guard trailed off a bit, not knowing how he should phrase this.

"So, you're saying that she is innocent?" Ubiquitous asked him, her amber eyes all of a sudden taking a dark, sharp look that could kill lesser beings, and both the guard and Akira herself couldn't help but shiver under her gaze. "Well?"

"I-I was patrolling my route as usual and so far there were no irregular activities of any kind until all of a sudden this girl ran into me, ma'am." The Imperial Guard told his side of the story.

Finding no detectable lies whatsoever from his statement, the brunette took his word for it, though the dangerous unreadable look in her eyes were still there. "Now, tell me soldier. Was it an accident? Was she looking for help? Did she bump into you on purpose? If so, did she apologize?"

"Y-Yes, it was an accident. And, she apologized." The guard responded rather shakily, avoiding his comrade's gaze. "Twice..."

"And yet...Koro and I find you beating this poor, defenseless girl as if she came around and suddenly stabbed you from behind. Why?"

The questions just kept coming from Ubiquitous, and the atmosphere from there drastically changed. It was almost suffocating.

The Imperial Guard was at a loss for words at this point. "I-I...I..."

"We of the Imperial Police, are here for the PROTECTION of the people! We are not here to pick on the civilians we are destined to protect with our very lives! We are here to bring evil doers to justice! Absolute Justice and nothing else!" The brunette scolded him, her small furry companion growling in her arms. The guard was absolutely speechless and shaking on his boots by this point. "You utterly disgust me! You can expect that we will talk about this matter later, just you and me."

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"You have five seconds to get out of my sight! Leave. Now!"

No less than five seconds and the Imperial Guard scampered out of there, tripping over himself in his wake. Seemingly satisfied, Ubiquitous turned towards Akira, who still hadn't move from her spot on the ground. Her scary face seemed to have melted as she gently smiled down at the redhead.

"I'm very sorry about that." The brunette apologized, outstretching her hand to Akira, who was hesitant at first but ultimately accepted her help to stand on her feet. "Are you alright? Miss..." She trailed off a bit, almost as if urging the kickboxer to introduce herself.

"Akira. My name's Akira." The redhead responded, standing up as straight as possible, as much as her aching ribs will let her anyway. "And, I'll live...don't worry about it."

"Nice to meet you, Akira! I'm Imperial Guard member Seryu Ubiquitous and this is my partner, Koro." Seryu formally introduced herself along with Koro, who mimicked its owner's actions, with a salute. "I promise you here and now that this injustice will simply not stand for the unnecessary cruelty you've just received!"

 **This girl... I'm grateful that she saved me and all, but I can't help but feel- Tense.** Akira thought uneasily for lack of better words. "Ah, that won't be necessary! T-Thanks." She managed to reply with a shaky smile.

Seryu looked surprised, but didn't press further on this matter. "Are you sure? Do you at least want me to escort you to a nearby clinic?" She asked not only in concern, but to also see if her services were needed elsewhere.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you, Seryu." The redhead declined once again. "I need to stay here and wait for my friend. She should be back soon."

"Very well, citizen! Koro and I will be on our way and must continue patrolling. Justice never rests after all!" The brunette exclaimed in enthusiasm, bowing formally before taking off further down Main Street. "Farewell!"

"Gods... That was stressful, not to mention unnecessary." Akira commented as she slowly headed to an alleyway, leaning and sliding down on the wall until she was seating on the ground. She grunted in pain as she removed her orange hoodie before she tenderly laid a hand on her torso. Her shirt clung to her body like second skin. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she breathed heavily. "Damn that asshole! So much for healing nicely..."

 **I even lost track of Nea's father, I think it was him anyway...** The kickboxer thought dazed, closing her eyes for a bit. "Damn it..." She mumbled drowsily.

* * *

 **A/N2: That's the end for part 1 for this particular chapter folks! I promise that I will update part 2 sometime on Saturday so you guys can look forward to it. Originally, I was going to do this extra chapter how it originally was but throughout last week I felt that I wanted to do something a tad bit different than just re-write the entire extra chapter. Like, I wanted to expand a bit on the search for Nea's father among other things.**

 **Anyway, point being is I was on vacation away from work and I typed a bit too much to the point where I needed to make this chapter into parts 1 and 2. I'm not joking, my document was like over 9,000 words close to 10,000 and obviously I can't make a ridiculously long chapter so yeah... Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews. Did you guys think I did a good job with Seryu's introduction? Any kind of support would be appreciated and it's just wonderful to have people liking this little project of mine. I'll be back with part 2 on Saturday! ;)**


	10. Kill the Blackness Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski and fe4lone for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome.**

 **Also, yes, I know I'm SUPER LATE with part 2! I went back to work last Wednesday and worked for the rest of the week, and I was bone tired by the time I headed home on those days and obviously that also meant that I was too tired to type... It honestly didn't feel like I had a vacation at all. I'm here now though, and that's what counts. Now, let's pick up where we left off! I hope that you guys enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Kill the Blackness Pt. 2**

 **Imperial Capital, Main Street Alleyway**

Akira didn't know for how long she was out, but she was roused awake by a familiar voice calling out her name down the street. She opened her eyes and looked to her right by the end of the alleyway towards Main Street, and that's when she saw Leone. The blonde had stopped in her mad search to look among the crowd to find her. The redhead sat up as straight as she could and took a deep breath to try and yell out...

"I'M HERE, LEONE!"

As Akira yelled from the top of her lungs, Leone snapped her head towards the direction of the alleyway and immediately headed there. The outlaw ran to where she was and when she made it, she realized that upon closer inspection, Akira looked like crap.

"What the hell happened to you?! Are you alright?" Leone asked out in concern, crouching in front of the kickboxer, who was currently having a coughing fit. "Akira, talk to me!"

Once the coughing spell subsided, the redhead pulled her bandaged hand away and she certainly wasn't surprised to find blood present. "I-I think I need a doctor..." She rasped out.

"Aw, shit! This isn't good..." The lion shifter mumbled out, cursing under her breath. "Do you think you can stand up?"

"Don't know. Let's give it a shot." Akira replied with a pained grin.

Leone nodded quickly and got to her feet, holding her hands out for the redhead to pull herself up. Akira rose on shaky legs and winced as pain shot through her ribs, causing her to hunch over.

The blonde helped her straightened up. "Easy there Aki, I don't want you to black out on me, alright?"

"R-Right." The kickboxer muttered out.

"Come on, I know a nearby clinic by my neighborhood." Leone told her. "We can get you patched up there."

There were certainly no complaints on Akira's end. "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Leone's Neighborhood**

The girls wandered around the Capital on their way to Leone's neighborhood, and they took longer than expected since Akira had to go on her own pace but Leone didn't seem to mind and she certainly didn't want to rush her wounded friend either.

"You okay back there?" Leone asked over her shoulder, worry lacing her voice as she looked back at the kickboxer.

"I'm okay, really." Akira insisted, trying to keep up.

"Good. We're almost there." The outlaw promised her. **I just hope that Gramps is there...** She thought with slight concern since the doctor tends to be out sometimes, either drinking out on one of the bars with some buddies in their neighborhood or maybe he was making a house call for one of his patients.

As they rounded up the corner, the girls finally made it to the small establishment.

Leone opened the front door to the place and started calling out for the old man, heading on deeper into the threshold of the clinic/small residence. "Gramps! It's me, Leone! Are you here? Please, my friend needs help!"

Meanwhile Akira finally made it to the establishment herself, closing the door and leaning heavily against it. She felt her breaths becoming shorter as the color drained from her already paled face.

"Leone..."

At the sound of her name, the blonde turned her head enough to notice the redhead was about to collapse. "Aw, shit!" She cursed under her breath as she dashed forward, barely catching the smaller girl. Sighing in relieve, Leone gently lowered themselves down as she held Akira in her arms.

"Sorry, I'm sorry..." The kickboxer apologized.

The lion shifter merely smiled as her hand threaded through red locks, deep down hoping that it would give her friend some sort of comfort. "Don't worry. You're going to be fine. Just try to stay awake, okay?"

Akira nodded drowsily in response, resisting the urge not to pass out.

A few moments later, the old man appeared from the top of the stairs wearing a simple white shirt and gray sweat pants, his brown hair and stubble beard very disheveled, clearly half asleep and confusion apparent in his features. "Leone? What's going on here? It's late." He questioned the blonde as he straightened his glasses.

"Sorry we woke you up, but I need some help." Leone apologized. "My friend's hurt... You've got to help her Gramps." She pleaded with him.

The doctor nodded quickly. "Alright. Come on, take her into the clinic, and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." The outlaw replied quietly, gently gathering Akira into her arms as she followed the man down the hall.

"I really don't know what you're up to nowadays, but I wish you would be more careful." The brunette chided gently as Leone carefully deposited the redhead on one of the clinic beds.

"I'm sorry." The blonde murmured and as Akira was being attended to, she could've sworn she saw a flicker of guilt on Leone's golden eyes.

"In any case, you know how I do things. I work better without an audience." The doctor told her. "So, I'd suggest you go to the kitchen and raid my booze or something, would ya?" He practically shooed the outlaw away.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya." Leone merely rolled her eyes, brushing off the fact that she had been 'kicked out'.

A bandaged hand reached out towards the blonde, weakly grasping Leone's wrist to catch her attention and when Leone turned around she was met with a scared, timid look from the kickboxer.

"Leone..."

The lion shifter smiled softly as she gently took a hold of Akira's hand. "It's okay, Aki. I'm not going far. I promise I'll be here the moment you wake up." She reassured the redhead, who didn't say anything, merely taking Leone's word as she released her hold.

Half an hour later the outlaw was restless in her seat in the kitchen, clearly too worried and distracted to the point where she actually hadn't raided the old man's fridge yet. She wasn't alone for long though seeing as the doctor finally exited the clinic, which is across the hall in his small residence.

Upon seeing him, Leone abruptly stood up from the dining chair. "Gramps! Is Akira going to be alright?"

"That's her name, eh? She'll be fine. I give her something to help her sleep, but I do need to make a quick physical exam once she wakes up just to see if she's healing up fine." The doctor reassured her. "And, you're STILL calling me 'Gramps'! I have a name you know and it's Leonard! I may be forty eight years old, but I don't feel THAT old yet!" He complained with a small grin.

The blonde sighed in relief, obviously glad to hear that Akira is going to be alright. "What are you talking about? You're still good ol' Gramps to me." She replied with a smile, sitting back down in her seat.

Dr. Leonard chuckled. "I guess some things never change. So... What have you been up to for the past six years? If, you don't mind me asking."

"Are you asking because you're curious or are you actually concerned for my well-being?" Leone questioned him with amusement in her tone.

"Pfft. Me? Concerned? That's rich." The old man played along as he headed towards his fridge, taking out a bottle of whiskey and took two drinking glasses out from his cabinet. "Please, I was the one who raised you so I KNOW that you're as tough as nails! Anyway, I'm sorry that I don't have any Sake but I personally think Whiskey is just as good." He told her with a wink.

The lion shifter smiled. "It's fine. And to answer you're question, I've been around and that's all you need to know." She replied mysteriously, much to Leo's disappointment.

"You're no fun. I remember when you used to be fun." Leonard merely pouted, taking a seat across from the blonde as he served their drinks.

Leone honestly felt bad that she couldn't confide in her old caretaker, but she knew that she had to keep Night Raid as a secret. No matter what. "Look, it's just complicated."

"Listen, I'm just a TAD worried and for good reason!" Dr. Leonard admitted to her. "I absolutely haven't heard from you since you moved out when you were what...sixteen? You hardly visit, and even IF you do, you don't stay for very long. Not to mention, you don't write me any letters either..." His shoulders slumped a bit as he took a swig of his drink before taking out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it. "Of course I'm going to worry." He muttered.

"I'm sorry..." The outlaw apologized quietly, looking down at her glass so that she wouldn't have to meet his gaze, her guilt over the years returning almost ten fold.

"It's alright, I just...needed to vent a little. Please don't take it as if I was guilt tripping you. That wasn't my intention..." The old man honestly told her, puffing and exhaling his cigarette. "I'm just surprised that you haven't gotten into any trouble over the years." He retorted playfully, changing the subject, which effectively earned him a not-so-gentle punch from the blonde. "What? It's a good thing!"

 **You have NO IDEA Gramps...** Leone mused in her thoughts, knowing deep down that she's a real troublemaker, she just hasn't been caught by the Imperial Guards. She's still one of the few Night Raid members so far that doesn't have her own wanted poster, which is a miraculous achievement in and of itself seeing as she was an infamous thief before becoming an assassin. After all, she has a reputation of sorts to uphold.

There was silence for a moment before Dr. Leonard spoke again. "So~! If you won't tell me what you do nowadays then that's fine, but... How's your love life?" He suddenly asked her with a cheeky grin.

It took a moment for the outlaw to fully register the doctor's question, but once she did a huge blush rose up her cheeks, her golden eyes widening in surprise. "EXCUSE ME?!"

"You heard me. Come on, you can tell me! It's that redhead you brought in, right? Right? Please tell me I'm right!" The brunette continued insistently in amusement, grinning all the while.

Leone was absolutely flabbergasted on the sudden conversation they were having. "What makes you think that I might be interested in her?"

"You're acting as if I haven't noticed the hickey on your friend's neck." The old man pointed out as he put out his cigarette on an ash tray. "Or, the way you were reassuring her that you would be there the moment she wakes up. I think it's sweet!" He teased.

"And you instantly assume that it was me?" The blonde said incredulously. "By the way, what happened back there was pure, genuine concern! Nothing more." She hastily added.

Dr. Leonard leaned forward on his seat as he straightened his glasses, looking Leone straight in the eye with his deep, sharp viridian gaze. "Was it?"

"Why are we even talking about this?" The lion shifter asked him, feeling her ears burn.

"There's no need to get flustered, my little lioness. All I want is just a simple yes or no to my question." The old man stated. "Now... Did you or did you not give your friend that hickey?"

"...It could have been a bug?" Leone offered lamely, sweating bullets by this point.

Leonard burst out laughing, similar to a hyena as he used his arms to cover up his sides, his abdominal muscles possibly cramping up due to the sudden insistent laughing. He laughed for a good ten minutes before finally gathering his composure. "REALLY~! Really? That's the lamest excuse I heard from you yet! However, a hickey can be considered as a bug bite so... Let's say I believe you. NOT!"

"You are the worst..." The blonde groaned in embarrassment, her face a deep shade of scarlet as she purposely slumped in her seat. "And your Whiskey sucks too!"

"Says the one who didn't even get a sip from her first glass." The brunette spoke knowingly, serving himself another drink.

Leone groaned in embarrassment yet again as she finally downed her first drink, shoving the now empty glass towards the doctor's side of the table. "You're still the worst! Serve me another one."

"And you said my Whiskey sucks..." Leonard commented, serving the blonde's drink. Once he finished, he drank a bit from his own glass. "So... How long have the two of you been going out?"

"What is this? Twenty questions? I feel like I'm being interrogated." The outlaw complained.

"Well then, forgive me for being nosy! It's in my nature. I haven't heard from you in six years Leone. SIX YEARS! Do you know what that does to a person who really cares about you?" The old man asked her.

"You're not my dad. You said so yourself, didn't you?" Leone muttered out loud and she immediately regretted saying those words, deep down it not only struck a chord to herself but also to Leonard.

"I only told you the truth." Regardless of the blonde's statement, Leo remained calm. "When you left... I was fucking miserable, I was worried sick, I could barely function, but I didn't let those feelings consume me. If you're not going to tell me what you've been up to over the years, then that's fine, but please allow me to ask about other things. Don't I deserve that much?"

"I suppose so." The lion shifter responded, downing her second drink before ultimately sighing. "To answer your question from before: No, we're not a thing."

"So, what? Are you sex buddies or something?" Dr. Leonard questioned her, even more intrigued.

"It's more like we're make-out buddies, even though we've kissed each other twice." Leone replied, her finger distractedly tracing over the rim of her drinking glass. "The first time was by accident and the second...she initiated it. I was certainly caught by surprise, that's for sure."

The brunette leaned his head against his fist, watching the outlaw's actions. "Is she a virgin? Maybe the shy type?"

"She's not exactly the shy type..." The blonde chuckled, knowing personally that Akira was a lot more than that. "She's...a complicated young woman. And as for your first guess, I don't think so, but don't quote me on that. She's been through a lot before I met her..."

"I can only imagine what that poor girl has been through..." Leonard said sympathetically, following up onto a question soon after. "You think you like her? Or, is this going to be like your past relationships? Hooking up thinking this is the real thing, but in reality it isn't and so you'll jump to another person and/or you're seducing the girl with your charms enough to scam her out of her money later."

"No! No, no, no. It's not like that!" Leone face palmed, not even sure on how to respond.

The brunette looked surprised. "Oh! You're serious about this one?"

"I-I don't know! I think I do... It's complicated." The lion shifter stammered.

"You're the complicated one, my little lioness, but it's okay." The old man reassured her. "It's still doesn't change the fact that you have the hots for her!" He teased.

"She has a name!" The outlaw grumbled out irritably with a scowl on her face, drumming her fingers on the table's surface for emphasis.

"Ooh~! I think I touched a nerve!" Dr. Leonard said amused, grinning all the while as the blush on Leone's face intensified almost ten fold in her embarrassment. "I'm sorry, darling. I seem to have misplaced her name... What was it again?"

Leone simply glared at him, not wanting to give him any more satisfaction on the subject. "You really are the worst." She remarked to him yet again, it wasn't from spite though.

"That I am!" The old man responded with a hearty laugh.

Their conversation started off as a rocky one, but in the end the lion shifter was happy to spend time with her old guardian. It was nice and admittedly, Leone misses it. She hopes that one day once the Revolution is finally over and the Imperial Capital can be reborn into a time of peace that she can be honest with Leonard and tell him the truth. From start to finish, from her misadventures as an infamous thief up to counting all of her missions and side jobs she had to do when she became a member of Night Raid. And by the end of it all, Leone wants to wish and hope with all her might that her old man wouldn't think any less of her for the part she had to play throughout the war...

 **I'm sorry for causing you so much heartache, Gramps... I'll make it up to you over some drinks when the war is over. That's a promise.** The blonde thought to herself in determination, laughing alongside Dr. Leonard and his silly shenanigans.

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Dining Room**

One week later, the search for Nea's father continued as the entirety of the Night Raid members worked morning, noon, and some of them even pulled an all nighter to improve their efforts in the search. And finally, the search seemed to have come to an end as Lubbock barged into the dining room to deliver the good news.

"Nea! Good news!" The wired tactician hollered to the young girl, clearly out of breath. "We found your father!" He informed her.

Nea gasped in surprise, standing up from her chair. "W-What is he doing? Is he doing well?!" She asked him.

"He's working happily under a Carpenter. I can take you there this afternoon!" Lubbock responded with a grin.

The pig-tailed girl smiled in joy. "I...I found my father..."

"That's great, Nea!" Sheele said happily to her friend.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" Nea spoke in gratitude as she hugged the schere wielder.

"Hey, I'm the one who wanted the hug!" Lubbock complained in the background.

Akira merely shook her head as she chuckled. "You are just begging for praise and attention, aren't you Lubbly?"

"I worked hard during the search, you know, I just want a little recognition." The greenlette boy spoke honestly with an adorable pout. "A little bit of love wouldn't hurt anyone..." He murmured, crossing his arms.

"Silly goober." The redhead hugged him. "I'm sure the others appreciate you as much as I do, Mr. Suave."

Once Lubbock pulled away from her embrace, he looked at Akira on a new light. "You are my new favorite." He proclaimed to her, successfully making the kickboxer laugh.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Nea shyly called onto the lilac haired assassin. "Um... Sheele,"

"Yes?" Sheele gave the girl her undivided attention.

"Um...well... Even after I start living with my father, will you come visit me?" The young girl asked her, and she continued on with an excited voice. "I want to introduce you to my father!"

A sad look made itself apparent on the schere wielder's face as she was at a loss for words, but she soon found them. "Um...I... I'm sorry. I can't do that."

The pig-tailed girl hung her head low in sadness. "Oh..."

"We're Hunters. When the seasons change, we'll leave to go hunt other prey." Bulat explained.

"I...I see." Nea responded in understanding.

"But that doesn't mean we can't write each other letters." Takumi spoke out with a short solution, surprising everyone in the room.

The young girl was touched by the gesture. "That does sound nice Takumi, but I can't-"

"I know." The redheaded boy gently interrupted her. "Your father can help write your letters and he can even help you read the letters that Sheele and I send to you. We won't be able to see each other for a while, but that doesn't mean we can't keep in touch." He finished with a smile.

"W-Will that be alright?" Sheele asked the muscular veteran, a flicker of hope returning to her eyes.

Bulat thought about it for a moment, before ultimately shrugging his shoulders. "I don't see the harm in it."

Sheele and Nea cheered in glee as they both hugged the ten year old boy, who blushed while giving a small smile. The others who were present in the room smiled as well seeing as their friends found a solution to their little problem.

 **There was nothing suspicious about her.** Akame thought, ultimately deciding that Nea is innocent. **We just need to have one of our disguised spies take her to her father...and that will be the end. Hopefully, nothing will happen...**

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Town Streets**

As Lubbock promised, he made arrangements so that Nea could get escorted to her father in the afternoon. That's one mission successful. Currently, both father and daughter are walking hand-in-hand down the Capital streets, probably on their way home.

"Daddy's house is a bit small right now, but you have to deal with it, okay?" The apprentice told his daughter.

"It's okay!" Nea reassured. "If I'm with you, daddy, I don't care where we live!"

Her father smiled warmly. "Yeah. We'll always be together. I'll do my best to give you your share of happiness that you should've gotten from your mother... Nea."

"Okay!" The young girl returned the smile with one of her own.

As both father and daughter walked further down the street a tall, lanky man passed by Nea only to stop abruptly in his tracks. The man quickly looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening at recognizing a familiar face...

 **...That was...! There's no mistaking it! It's that little girl from that house I robbed in Enn...** Tonto realized in his thoughts, cursing under his breathe from his carelessness. **Damn it... She was alive?! Why is she in the Capital? Could she be...?!**

Figuring out his next move, Mr. Tonto nodded to himself as he resumed walking but in a fast pace compared to before, an action that two certain women noticed by a nearby Cafe.

The outlaw smirked. "He seems to be in a hurry... Probably heading towards his shop, I think."

"Our little piggy is starting to get restless." The kickboxer commented, pulling up the hood of her hoodie over her head and covering most of her face with her bandana. "Come on."

"Well, aren't you ready to start sneaking around?" Leone spoke amused.

Akira merely rolled her eyes. "I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to get identified any time soon."

"When you put it that way, that is smart of you." The blonde praised, and she then started to lead the way. "Follow me."

"Yes ma'am." The redhead followed suit.

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Mr. Tonto's Residence**

Pretty soon it was early evening, and the girls didn't have too much trouble sneaking in to Tonto's apartment suite. Leone easily picked the lock on the balcony door and they managed to get inside.

Akira did a low whistle of appreciation. "You know, for a 'Good guy with a shady past'... He really does have a nice place, for a thief..."

"Whoa! Easy there with the thief comments, I take offense to that." The outlaw pouted, feigning hurt as she started her search in the living room.

"My bad." The kickboxer stuck out her tongue playfully. "Anyway, just to be sure... What am I supposed to be searching for?" She asked.

"Anything that will give us dirt about this scumbag and his past crimes. We need proof that he's actually guilty just as our client says." Leone told her.

Akira nodded in understanding, but she was a tad bit confused. "That makes sense, but didn't our client tell us that he'd been spying on Tonto for years? Isn't that proof enough?"

"Yeah, but in our line of work we need to be thorough when it comes to our targets and clients. Every last detail. And all of it it's to ensure that we aren't being double-crossed." Leone explained.

"Alright then, and I also assume that I shouldn't move his stuff around too much or else Tonto is going to be suspicious. Am I right?" The redhead tried to guess.

"Exactly!" The blonde confirmed for her. "You catch on fast, I like that! Now, let's split up and search the place as fast as we can before the bastard comes back."

Akira headed towards Tonto's bedroom. "Sounds like a plan!"

As agreed upon, the girls split up for a bit as they searched the apartment. Leone checked the living room and kitchen while Akira checked the bedroom and bathroom.

 **Now, if I was a goody scumbag... Where would I hide my incriminating shit?** The redhead thought as she began her investigation.

Snooping around Akira searched under the bed, sheets, and pillows. Nothing. She searched the drawers. Nothing. The closet. Again, nothing. And she finally searched the bathroom, there was nothing under the counter sink nor the medicine cabinet itself...

"Damn!" The kickboxer cursed under her breath. "Either I'm blind or this guy knows how to cover his tracks..." She muttered as she closed the cabinet, and when she did Akira let out a startled yelp upon suddenly seeing Leone's reflection on the mirror.

"Whoops... My bad, Aki." The outlaw apologized, though the slight snicker coming out from her mouth makes the redhead think otherwise.

Akira laid a bandaged hand to her heart. "Please, don't ever do that again... I thought I was going to have a heart attack!"

"And here I thought that you weren't easy to scare, but I guess not." Leone commented teasingly, she soon dropped it though because of the scowl she was receiving. "Relax, I was only teasing. So... Did you manage to find anything on your end? That's the main reason I 'sneaked up' on you, you know, to check on ya."

"No, I haven't found anything incriminating." The redhead responded, giving out a disappointing grunt. "How about you? Anything good?" She asked.

"I'd say it was fruitful on my end, sort of..." The blonde reported, showing her partner her findings. "Let's see... I've found scraps of burnt clothes by his fire place in the living room, and judging by the smell I'd say Tonto must've done it rather recently. Not only that, but I've also smelled small traces of dried up blood on them... They may be old, but that kind of scent is one that nobody can forget. I also found a couple of papers on his desk relating to the starting fund for his shop from a year ago, just like the Boss and our client told us. It all seems to check out. Otherwise, that it."

Akira raised her eyebrows in amazement. "You did WAY more better than me, that's for sure..."

"Years of experience." Leone summed it up with a simple answer as she was about to head back to the living room. "Don't worry Aki, you just started your training recently. You'll have more opportunities to shine."

"If you say so..." The kickboxer shrugged her shoulders, following behind. "Do we head out now?"

"Yes, I think it's best that we-"

All of a sudden, Leone's lion ears flicked at the sound of locks unlocking followed by a rattling sound of a doorknob.

" _He's back!"_ The lion shifter whispered in alarm, ushering the redhead back into the bedroom. _"Hide under the bed. Now!"_ She ordered.

Akira merely nodded and did as the blonde instructed, Leone following suit. The kickboxer was nervous and scared at the same time. It was a mixed feeling. On one hand, she feared the consequences of what their actions is going to bring on the off chance that they'll be caught on the spot. Meanwhile on the other, she felt not only safe under Leone's presence and protection but she also felt the sense of excitement, a rush of adrenaline and curiosity, wondering what's going to happen next and how they will deal with the problem at hand.

Sensing her anxiety, Leone wrapped an arm around the kickboxer's tense shoulders and brought her close, and just by that action alone Akira relaxed considerably and let out a breath that she herself didn't realize she was holding.

" _Relax. All we need to do is lay low, be quiet, and just listen. We can probably learn a couple of things if Tonto runs his mouth."_ The outlaw whispered to her in reassurance, hoping to ease Akira's nerves a little. _"If anything happens, I'll protect you and that's a promise."_

The redhead smiled. _"Thanks, Leone..."_

Soon enough Tonto made his way into his apartment along with three other men and they gathered around the living room. From their hiding place and with Tonto's bedroom door open, both Leone and Akira not only had a good view but also hearing range, the blonde especially so seeing as she was in her Beast form.

"Listen up!" Mr. Tonto called their attention. "You may not know me and I don't know any of you, but I know that you guys are men for hire and so..." He let out a shaky breath. "I've got a job for you."

The leader of the trio smirked. "Just what kind of job are we talking about here, Mr. Tonto?"

"I-I need you to get rid off someone for me." The Curio shop owner responded rather nervously. "A little girl and her dad. Long story short, I screwed up on a job about a year ago because of my carelessness... I would do it myself, but...but I'm a changed man now! However, my past keeps haunting me no matter how much I desperately want to avoid it..."

"So, you want us to get rid off the evidence and silence these skeletons in your closet?" The main thug summarized rather abruptly.

Tonto sighed exasperatedly. "When you put it that way... Yes. That is what I want you to do, but did you really have to say it like that!"

"I say it like it is! They'll be dead soon enough anyway." The leader spoke nonchalantly. "Now, for discussing our payment..."

"How much?" The Curio shop owner dared to ask, deep down dreading the thug's response.

The main thug thought about for a moment. "Ten thousand gold coins. Paid up front."

"W-What?!" Mr. Tonto gasped in surprise, paling in comparison. "T-That's a bit too much, don't you think fellas?"

"You say, 'Too much' and I say it's a reasonable price." The leader retorted casually, obviously not his first time doing this kind of business. "You needed help and we offered our services, you want us to silence a couple of pests so that you can maintain your 'good persona', and let's not forget we're also doing the clean up in getting rid off the bodies so that Imperial Guards won't be snooping around. Yeah, I'd say it's pretty fair. Isn't that right boys?"

There were two rough hums of approval.

The main thug's smirked returned. "You heard 'em. What's it going to be, Mr. Tonto? Are you in or are you in?"

"Do I even have a choice?" Tonto mumbled, his shoulders slumping so. "Fine. Ten thousand. Just, please, get it done." He pleaded them as he started to search a bit for their payment.

"Relax, Mr. Tonto. You're in good hands." The leader reassured, satisfied that things went his way.

From under the bed, Akira was about to gasp in shock but Leone covered her mouth with a furry hand. The outlaw brought her finger to her lips as a silent gesture with the kickboxer nodding in understanding. Soon enough the three men were paid and left the apartment leaving an angry, anxious Tonto alone to his thoughts.

"Damn it!" The Curio shop owner cursed under his breath. "I knew I should've handled it myself! What's done is done I guess..." He conceded as he made his way to the bathroom. "I need a shower."

At hearing the bathroom door closed, the girls came out of their hiding spot and exited the apartment from the balcony. Once they made it into the streets and were a good distance away from Tonto's place, they stopped for a bit to catch their breaths.

"That was nerve-wrecking and unpleasant..."Akira whispered shakily, hugging herself with her arms. She then looked up at Leone. "What are we going to do? We're going to help them, right?"

"Of course we will!" The outlaw responded. "Unlike us, they don't know where Nea lives. Not to mention, we have the advantage to get to Nea's place much faster than they can."

"Then... What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" The kickboxer exclaimed as she was about to run off down the street.

"Easy there, Red!" All of a sudden, a furry hand darted out, grasping Akira's hood while yanking her back to Leone's side. "Slow down, just get on my back and we'll be on our way." Leone told her.

Akira raised her eyebrows, her face settling into a mix of disbelieve and amusement. "You're going to give me a piggy back ride? You?"

"Yeah, and I'm dead serious about it." The blonde retorted as she spun around, and she then looked over her shoulder and started to explain. "Trust me. I'm in Lionelle's Beast form right now and so our trip to Nea's place will be MUCH faster! In fact, we'll be there so early that we can plan a sneak attack on these bastards before they lay a hand on them."

"Alright, you've convinced me." The redhead conceded.

Timid arms wound around Leone's neck as long legs locked around the outlaw's waist, and before Akira knew what was happening, Leone had her up and off the ground with little to no effort.

"Hang on tight." The lion shifter replied quietly as she shifted her arms and brought her hands together, locking them under the kickboxer's bottom. **Hmm... Nice ass.** She made a quick mental note, giving an experimental squeeze.

Startled by the sudden action, Akira's face was the same shade as her own hair color. Flustered, she immediately let go of Leone's neck and instinctively grabbed the blonde's lion ears, pinching them. "Whoa! You never said anything about groping!" She squeak out.

"Consider it an accident! How else am I supposed to grab you in piggy back?! Do you _want_ to get dropped?" Leone grunted out in pain, deep down debating which was worse, having her tail bitten or her lion ears being pinched. She was even surprised with herself that she's still hanging on to the redhead despite the terrible pain she was in. "Can you let go? That really hurts...!"

" **Accident" my ass! However, she does bring up a good point...** Akira thought in realization, but she still had a skeptical look on her face that said otherwise. Regardless, she released Leone's lion ears before wrapping her arms loosely around the outlaw's neck again. "Fine."

The lion shifter sighed in relief as the pain in her ears disappeared. "Thanks... Now, hang on tight."

The next moment the kickboxer held on for dear life as Leone jumped as high up as possible to land on top of a roof building before breaking off into a mad sprint and jumping across various rooftops, heading off towards their destination, and through it all Akira couldn't help but scream out...

"LEONE, NOT SO FAAAAAAST!"

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Nea's Residence**

It was evening now as Nea and her father settled down to eat dinner in their small residence.

"I'm sorry." Nea's father apologized, shyly looking down at what he considered to be a pitiful meal for a special occasion. "I say we'd celebrate, but this was the best I could do..."

Nea smiled at him in reassurance. "No, it's okay! It's really good, father! I'll help you cook next time!" She promised.

Unbeknownst to them from the outside, three figures were approaching their property.

"Alright, just as requested, we'll kill the father and daughter." The leader of the trio spoke out their main objective.

One of the thugs drooled a bit as he grinned maliciously. "But it's alright if we get to have a little bit of fun before we do it, right?" He asked.

"Heh. Let's do the girl in front of her daddy!" The other one said in agreement.

The main thug laid a hand on the door knob. "Alright, let's go!"

But before he could even open the door, a furry hand came down with a swift punch, breaking the leader's wrist. In shock, the man grunted in pain as he took a couple of steps away from the front door of the small residence, taking a hold of his injured hand. His two companions gasped in surprise as they finally noticed the female figure that initiated the attack.

Leone flipped down from the roof of the house, standing in front of the trio before doing a strong decisive punch to the leader, which made him collide with the other two thugs and they fell back a couple of feet away from Nea's residence. All with a single punch.

"Who-Who are you?!" The leader asked demandingly, struggling to stand up.

"I'm a garbage collector." The outlaw grinned. "I heard that there were three pieces of degradable trash here, so I came to pick them up."

The three men charged towards the blonde, unsheathing their blades. "Fuck you! Die, bitch!"

Leone dodged all of their attacks as if they were mere child's play. "I actually...don't hate people like you." She admitted, grinning all the while as she pounded the thugs into submission. "Because I can pummel you without holding back!"

Soon enough, the fight was over before it even started. The hired men were knocked out and tied up by some rope the lion shifter managed to find. After making sure that the rope was tight enough, Leone headed towards the wooded part of the residence.

"Yo Aki, you about done?" The blonde called out to the kickboxer, who was leaning and hanging on to the tree as if it was her only life line. She couldn't help but snicker seeing as Akira looked like a mess.

"Puking my guts out? No, I'm not..." Akira replied shakily, her hair was stuck up and disheveled at different directions, and her clothes were all wrinkled up as if she fought head to head with a Jackaleo. Not to mention, her stomach was unsettled at the moment from Leone's piggy back ride. "You're terrible! That's the last time I'm getting a piggy back ride from you..." She whined.

"Not the first time somebody says that to me!" Leone smirked, brushing off the comment as if it was nothing. "If it makes you feel any better, we can walk to the station and drop these ingrates off." She offered.

The redhead smiled. "That sounds nice."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Leone's Neighborhood**

After dropping the three thugs at the Security Squad Station, Leone and Akira wandered through the streets of Leone's neighborhood. The blonde wanted to show Akira around on what her home district has to offer.

"Are you sure that it's alright to goof around instead of heading to the hideout to report what we've learned?" The redhead asked her companion for the umpteenth time, to her defense she was worried that Tonto might try something else.

The blonde merely waved off her concerns. "Oh, please! Tonto thinks that those guys either failed or they probably ran off with his money, so I'm pretty sure he's pissing his pants right about now."

"So... You're just going to leave the guy restless on what's going to happen next?" Akira guessed.

"Why not!" Leone grinned evilly as she merely shrugged her shoulders. "He's still our problem, sure, but his hands are pretty much tied and has no choice but to lay low. Soon enough he won't have anything to worry about anymore..."

The kickboxer sighed as she stopped walking, looking down blankly at her sneakers. "That's terrible..."

Noticing that her partner stopped walking, the outlaw sighed herself before heading back towards the redhead.

"You're not feeling sorry for him are you?" Leone asked her.

"Of course not!" Akira practically yelled out.

The lion shifter crossed her arms. "Then... What's the problem?"

"I just don't see why we can't put the poor bastard out of his misery." The kickboxer told her straight out. "We already have proof that he's guilty, don't we? In more ways than one in fact!"

"It's not our call to make, it's the Boss' decision." Leone stated. "Besides, like I told you before, Tonto won't do anything. He's too deep in this mess to the point where he can't get himself out."

Akira sighed. "I guess..."

The blonde wrapped an arm across Akira's shoulders, bringing her close. "Come on, stop being such a worry wart! Everything will be fine. You need to loosen up!"

"And, how do you suggest we do that?" The redhead dared to ask.

Leone merely grinned as she took out a huge brown leather bag. "How about we spend ten thousand gold coins? It'll be fun!"

"Did you steal that from those thugs earlier?" Akira asked her in disbelieve as she put her hands on her hips, resisting the urge not to grin herself even though she should really be giving the blonde a look of disapproval.

"It's not really stealing if I took it from some corrupted bastards." The outlaw said casually, clearly emphasizing that it wasn't her first time performing such an act.

The kickboxer laughed as she finally resumed walking. "Leone, you're so bad."

Leone followed after her, walking beside her. "That's what my Gramps tells me!"

"Speaking of the old doctor, is he really your grandfather or something?" Akira asked curiously, genuinely wanting to know a bit more of the outlaw. "It's okay if you don't answer, I was mostly curious."

Admittedly, it was a bit frustrating for the redhead in knowing that Leone relatively knows what happened to Akira in the past and the way she usually acts but nothing more. I mean, the lion shifter doesn't know everything about her but at the very least she has something to know about Akira. Meanwhile, the redhead doesn't know squat about the blonde. Akira only registered Leone's habits, some bad more than others but overall the kickboxer could tell that Leone was a good person.

"He's not grandfather nor my...father for that matter. I call him Gramps because that's my term of endearment for him." The blonde responded, her grin from earlier suddenly wiping off her face. "I have no blood relation to that man whatsoever."

"I see. I noticed the way you two casually talked to one another and to be honest, I never thought of it that way. You two seemed like two peas in a pod." The redhead spoke honestly. "Though, I could tell that there was some tension between you two, you had some guilt over something just by looking at your eyes..."

 **She could tell I was upset. And here I thought I had a good mask...** Leone thought surprised. "It's nothing major really. I just wish I could be more honest with him, but with the Revolution and all...obviously it's going to be a while for me to do that."

"By how you guys were arguing that night, I'd say he'll understand." Akira gave her own opinion. "After all, he was just worried about you."

Suddenly, the outlaw stopped in her tracks while paling in comparison as she realized something. "You knew we were arguing? How much did you hear?"

"Not much. Bits and pieces since I was in and out of consciousness, but you guys were being loud." The kickboxer responded honestly.

" _So, you didn't hear about the hickey?"_ Leone whispered rather quickly, before promptly shutting up.

Akira looked at her in confusion, not quite catching what the blonde said. "Hear about what now?"

"Nothing!" The lion shifter replied rather quickly, and so she changed the subject. **I'm surprised she hasn't noticed it yet...** She thought to herself. "So anyway, no, I don't have any blood relation to the old doctor, but he was the one who ultimately raised me as his own. Kind of..."

"What do you mean? He did or didn't?" The kickboxer asked her, intrigued.

"He did. It's just..." Leone sighed a bit before continuing. "When Gramps wasn't so old, he found me...abandoned and wailing away in the slums as a little newborn. He looked me over and given my condition, he could tell I was starving and was left there for quite sometime. Gramps then took me with him without a second thought..." She began to tell her story, Akira listening intently as she continued. "Over the years, Gramps took care of me and did his best in providing me with everything I needed, not to mention I gave him some trouble when I finally learned to walk and explore for myself."

Akira couldn't help but laugh, already imagining how much trouble little Leone caused at the time.

At hearing her laughter, Leone smile a bit as she kept talking. "Eventually, I turned seven. I was old enough to think and fend for myself, if only briefly, but it was around this time that Gramps felt the need to tell me the truth that he actually wasn't my dad... I wasn't sad or anything, I had an inkling that was the case, but it never really bothered me until he said it out loud, you know. Regardless of the truth, he's still a father figure for me, but when I think back... I remember a couple of instances in where I would call him 'dad', 'daddy', and sometimes even 'pops'. The usual right? It was just the standard nicknames you would give to your father. But, every time I used them...Gramps would just look uncomfortable and act aloof... Like, he genuinely wants to care for me but he doesn't want to get too attached."

"Maybe he's not used to being called a dad in general? I mean, he used to live by himself before he took you in, of course he's going to be all awkward being referred to like that." The redhead offered her own opinion.

"He had sixteen years to get used to it!" The blonde all of a sudden snapped in response as she stopped a couple of steps away, startling Akira. "What was the point of adopting me if Gramps doesn't want me to see him as a father?! HE was the one who named me for fucks sake! And yet, he still doesn't take it as a right to be a parent! Not even a little?"

Timid arms wound themselves around Leone's waist as Akira hugged her from behind. Leone tensed a bit from the sudden action but she soon relaxed into the hug, appreciating the gesture.

 **She's shaking...** The kickboxer realized as she rested her chin on a strong shoulder, still embracing the tall girl. **I didn't even notice how tall she really was until now.** "I'm sure he cares, Leone. The doctor probably didn't want to be enforce you with rules when it came to his parenting."

"How so?" The outlaw asked hoarsely, almost as if she had been crying and the redhead wouldn't be too surprised if she was.

"It's like you mentioned, he's not really your dad. The doctor took you in because he didn't want to leave a starving, abandoned, defenseless newborn. Any good person wouldn't want that for a baby..." Akira spoke a bit absentmindedly, bringing a bandaged hand up to her abdomen. "Regardless of the truth, he still took you in and raised you as his own. I guess the doctor is acting aloof because he doesn't want to enforce any rules on you. Maybe when you were younger, yeah, because it was the natural thing to do but when you were old enough to know right and wrong by yourself the doctor let you do your own thing. You're not his kid. He's not your parent. The doctor gave you the freedom to do what you want because he didn't want to be hovering over you and telling you what to do anymore. I guess, he already saw you as your own woman."

"Isn't that kind of irresponsible?" Leone said incredulously, massaging the back of her neck awkwardly, still processing on what Akira was saying.

"So says the troublemaker." The redhead smiled before stating. "What you just said was both ironic and hypocritical of you, Blondie."

The blonde blushed in embarrassment, lightly elbowing Akira's ribs in retaliation, causing the kickboxer to laugh as she finally pulled away. Leone pouted as she wiped away her tears before turning around to face Akira, who was still smiling softly at her.

The lion shifter made eye contact for moment, only to falter soon after. "I sometimes wonder to myself if I...turned out okay."

"You're probably right. To other people, the doctor's parenting may look irresponsible in their eyes, but not as I see it..." The kickboxer spoke as she brought her hand up to Leone's cheek, disagreeing with her earlier statement. Leone brought her hand up as well, laying it on top of Akira's. "I think you've turned out just fine." She reassured the blonde as she leaned forward and laid a peck on Leone's cheek.

The outlaw's golden eyes widened in surprise for the second time tonight as the sudden action finally made her to make eye contact with the redhead once again.

Akira merely smiled as she stepped away from Leone and continued to walk ahead. "Come on, Blondie! Weren't you going to give me a tour? You promised me fun in spending all that money!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"C-Coming!" The lion shifter stammered as she caught up to her companion, casually hooking her arm with the redhead's, happy to notice that Akira didn't seem to mind. "Hey, Aki?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks." Leone said in gratitude, intertwining her hands with the kickboxer.

Akira gently squeezed back, returning the gesture. "No problem."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room**

"And, when we tailed the thugs by our target, it turned out they were headed to Nea's place." Leone finished telling her report about hers and Akira's findings during their recon mission.

"So that little girl was a victim of Tonto's as well." Najenda thought out loud, assessing the situation. "He must have sent assailants to their house in order to silence a witness of his past deeds..."

"It's all true, Boss. Blondie and I heard everything when Tonto hired them for the job, he even had to give up ten thousand gold coins as payment." Akira told her, obviously not mentioning the part where she and Leone spent the loot.

Every other member in the room had grim expressions on their faces as they heard about Mr. Tonto and his guilty misdeeds.

Unlike the rest, Tatsumi voiced out his disgust over the whole situation. "This is terrible... And on top of that, he tried to kill them just to get rid off evidence..."

Mine said nothing as she looked up at the schere wielder, already sensing Sheele's Aura darkening in intent to deliver divine punishment towards this man.

"There were other definite proofs. He's guilty." Leone mentioned as a matter of fact. "Let's take him down."

"Alright. If the target is just one man, then there's no need to send the entire group. We'll..." The former military woman thought about it for a moment before ultimately making a decision. "Send Mine and Sheele. Go!"

"Thank you very much!" The lilac haired assassin said in gratitude as she and Mine took out their Teigu, weapons at the ready.

Najenda turned her gaze towards the swordsman. "Tatsumi, this is an opportunity for you to observe and learn. Go with them! Leone will show you where to go and provide backup."

"Roger!" The outlaw said in affirmative while cracking her knuckles, clearly excited to go out in the field.

"Akira."

The redhead looked up as her name was called by her leader.

"Do you think you're well enough to accompany them and learn alongside Tatsumi?" The Ex general asked her mildly with concern. "It's your decision."

Akira made up her mind, declining the offer. "Thanks, but I'll stay behind. I already consider the recon mission being enough training for today."

"Very well. The rest of you already know what to do." Najenda spoke to her members, dismissing the meeting.

 **Nea...** Sheele thought worriedly as she headed out of the conference room, moving with a sense of purpose and determination for her mission.

* * *

 **A/N2: PHEW! Well, that's it for part 2 and as you can clearly see it's just as long as part 1...but I'm very happy with it so that's a huge pat on the back for me! Another reason why I ended it here was because most of us already know the original ending for this chapter in the manga. I'm hoping chapter 11 won't be so long, which will be Bulat's extra chapter "Kill the Mad Swordsman" with my own filler portions on there because of Akira's involvement. Also, I want to apologize again for not updating like I promised but things got busy with me all of a sudden, but I'm back now.**

 **Anyway! Please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! What did you think of my version of Leone's background? It's obviously not much, I know, but I wanted to expand a bit on her character since on the actual series Leone doesn't really have much of a past in my personal opinion compared to the other members of Night Raid, I mean, there were bits and pieces in terms of hints if you read into it but it's really not much in my opinion... So yeah! Please let me know what you think. Any kind of support would be wonderful and appreciated! It really makes my day when I read your reviews and see the faves/follows for this story and it inspires me to write more for you guys! Until next time! ;)**


	11. Kill the Mad Swordsman

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski and skullcandyklive for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome. I hope you guys had a good Christmas/New years with family and friends! I did too, but 2017 just wasn't my year... I thought 2016 was bad, but no 2017 took the cake for me and so I hope 2018 will be a good year not just to me but to everyone else as well.**

 **Also, some parts of this chapter will be mostly filler but you will notice that the events will be based on Bulat's extra chapter "Kill the Mad Swordsman" only with Akira added into the mix. Please remember, I am doing the extra chapters early because it just felt like a first thing to do for me. AND, one month has passed by since Akira, Takumi, and the same goes for Tatsumi as well, that they have been with Night Raid! That's all for now, I'll leave the rest of my rant for the end, and I hope that you'll enjoy the chapter! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Kill the Mad Swordsman**

 **Outskirts of the Capital, Deep in the Mountains**

"Man, those Maye plants are sure hard to find." Tatsumi couldn't help but comment as the small group continued to hike up the trail.

"Well, they **ARE** rare items. But their effectiveness is that much greater." Akame responded with a smile before she noticed something from above. "Hm?!"

Bulat turned his head towards her. "Oh? Did you find one?"

Within a blink of an eye, the sword master climbed up the nearest tree and took a hold of the bearing fruit that the tree provided.

"This fruit is good. I'm going to fill my stomach a bit." Akame told them, already stuffing her face.

The veteran crossed his arms and let out a disappointed sigh. "It was just food?"

"I swear, all that girl thinks about is missions and her own stomach..." Akira joked with her own assessment.

"I also grew up in the wild, but I'm no match for Akame." The brunette admitted.

The redhead chuckled. "Now, that's just sad."

"If we keep going, we'll have to camp out." Bulat spoke out loud, and he then looked at the girls. "If you want, you ladies can head back. You'll get hungry, right?" He offered.

 **Nice try, Handsome, but you won't get rid off me that easily!** Akira thought stubbornly, standing her ground. **I'll be damned to let Tatsumi have quality time with you.** "Whatever for? Akame just found some fruit. That will hold us for a good while."

"Yeah, what she said." The raven nodded her head in agreement, still munching on the fruit. "Besides, I can just pick up food like this as we go. We'll stay."

The kickboxer grinned in satisfaction by Akame's answer. "You heard the lady!"

"...Fine." The muscular man sighed in disappointment yet again. "Let's go... All four of us."

 **Why did Bro say that like he was so disappointed?** Tatsumi wondered in confusion, clueless to his brother figure's intentions towards him.

"...Hm?" Akame, who was still up a decent height on the tree, noticed a building from a distance. "A temple...?"

Soon enough, the small group made it up a long flight of stairs towards the temple Akame scouted from afar.

"Seriously? I had no idea there was a temple this deep in the mountains." Bulat commented in surprise.

"If they live far out here, they might know something about Maye plants." Akame told them with a smile.

Akira certainly looked impressed for Akame finding this place and her line of thought. "Good thinking, Akame! You have very good eyes!"

"Alright then, I'll ask." Tatsumi offered as he started to head towards the temple.

"What's this? Visitors? That's certainly something you don't see everyday." An old unfamiliar voice spoke out.

A small group of four elderly men stepped out of the temple, heading towards Tatsumi and the others, and as Bulat looked closer...

"Ma-Master Gensei?!" Bulat gasped in surprise.

"Hm... You know of me?" Master Gensei put a hand to his chin in thought, trying to see if he could recall the adult in front of him. "Were you my pupil?" His eyes then widened upon recognizing him. "Wait, are you Bulat?! How...you've changed."

The veteran smirked proudly, striking a pose. "Please, call it "Becoming Handsome."

 **Seriously Bro?** Tatsumi thought incredulously as he stared at his brother figure.

Akira just sighed longingly, admiring the hunk. **Oh, sweet, painful reality... Why must you be harsh on thou? If only he wasn't gay, he'd be mine all for the taking! But, alas... Reality really stinks.**

* * *

After the introductions, Master Gensei ushered the small group inside the temple and he offered them some tea. It didn't take long for Bulat to explain to his old master on why they were hiking up on the mountains...

"I see. So, you're searching for the Maye plant." Gensei spoke in understanding, mashing some herbs for his tea pot. "This temple keeps them in stock. Take as many as you like." He offered.

 **Great. Since they live deep in the mountains, they don't seem to know that Akame and Bro are wanted.** Tatsumi thought in relief. He then turned to his brother figure to ask a question. "Bro, who is he?"

"The former Master of Martial Arts of the Imperial Army, Gensei." Bulat responded. "He is the former user of Incursio, and in his prime, he was known as the strongest in the Empire."

" **HUH?!** " The young swordsman gasped, his viridian eyes widening upon this sudden revelation.

Master Gensei closed his eyes, his lips lifting up with a smirk. "That was decades ago. And Budo wasn't around back then, either." He added, slightly bragging. "But now, I'm just a good-for-nothing old geezer."

Regardless of saying these words however, Tatsumi couldn't repress the shiver that went down his spine, and he felt intimidated and tense all of a sudden. Akira wasn't far behind him, though unlike the brunette, she didn't show it in her face. Her body wasn't shaking in terror either, but her hands...her hands were trembling. At times like these, it really was hard to control her nerves.

The redhead balled her bandaged hands into fists in her lap, hoping that maybe it would lessen the tremors. **Calm down, calm down...** She thought to herself, trying to regain her composure. **Maybe some tea will help calm my nerves...**

"Back when I was a new recruit, you put me through all kinds of rough training." Bulat mentioned as he put a hand up to his chin in thought, recalling the past.

The young swordsman looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you had a past like that..."

"Of course I did. No one starts off strong." The veteran stated a fact.

Master Gensei smiled a bit as he stared at his old pupil, and the more he looked the more the old swordsman became intrigued. "Bulat, you seem to have improved your skills. And your three companions seem to be quite capable as well." He noticed, opening his eyes.

A comment that was supposed to be filled with praise suddenly gave off a huge wave filled with murderous intent, and Akame, who was drinking her tea, couldn't help but tense up once she sensed this ominous Aura from the old master. The raven eyed him warily, but refused to say anything.

"Yes. I am confidant that I have indeed become stronger." Bulat replied confidently, crossing his arms. "But we're not done growing yet. Neither me nor these three."

Tatsumi stared up at his brother figure in admiration. "Bro!"

"Hm. Very good. Very good." Master Gensei looked proud and impressed by his old pupil's response. "Then when you've polished your skills even more, I would like to spar with you."

"...Who are the other elderly men with you?" The veteran asked curiously, unable to break his gaze away from the two old men who were sparring at the dojo.

"Oh," The old swordsman looked over his shoulder. "They're my like-minded old geezers who can't stop training." He responded almost casually, as if it wasn't anything new. "There's a dojo here as well, so we train together."

"You're all so fit...even when you're all past seventy..." Bulat spoke in awe, still impressed on what he was beholding.

Suddenly, glass shattered on the wooden floor. Startled, everyone looked towards the redhead, who was giving a shaky smile. "S-Sorry..." She apologized.

Sensing her anxiety, Akame finally tore her wary gaze away from the old man for it to immediately switch to concern for her friend. The raven took a hold of the kickboxer's hands.

 **She's shaking...** Akame realized as she gently ran her thumbs over the back of Akira's knuckles, hoping that this action will help soothe her friend's nerves.

"It's quite alright." Gensei reassured, obviously sensing the redhead's worry from his seat.

"About what you said earlier, Master Gensei..." Akira began, slowly a deep breath before continuing. "About my friends and I being capable, you might be right about those three, but I... I am not capable, I don't feel strong..." She admitted. "You're wrong."

"Hey now, don't talk down to yourself." Bulat told her.

"But it's the truth!" The redhead argued, standing up on her feet. "I don't feel like I'm pulling my own weight, I don't feel like I'm giving it my all, I don't feel strong... In fact, I feel weak, so stop with the empty compliments!"

Tatsumi was certainly taken aback from Akira's outburst. "...Akira, what's wrong? Where is this coming from?"

"Change. That's where it's coming from, Tatsumi." The kickboxer answered him, her azure eyes having a sudden fire into them. "I am sick and tired of not doing anything. You guys train and fight hard on whatever you put yourselves into, but...I'm always the one that gets left behind..." She confessed, balling her hands into fists.

"That's not-" The young swordsman felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to see that it was Akame who stopped him. "Akame?"

"Let her finish." The raven spoke softly to him, almost pleading him to listen.

Akira nodded her thanks to Akame before continuing.

"It's been a month since I've been living with you guys and I don't feel like I've changed at all. I'm still a newbie, I'm still learning, and I get that but...I feel trapped. Like, I'm stuck in a loop and no matter what I try I just can't seem to find improvement on my own. That's why..." The kickboxer headed towards the old swordsman, kneeling in front of him. "Please. Master Gensei, if you think I am worthy enough, please... Let me be your apprentice!"

Master Gensei stared at the redhead for a while. "To have the courage to say all of that with conviction makes you worthy..." He spoke, sounding impressed. "I'll gladly train anyone who is striving to become stronger, and if that is what you wish to do, then who am I to deny your request." Gensei looked up at his old pupil. "Is this alright with you, Bulat?"

"If this is really what she wants then... I'm okay with it." The veteran responded, staring off to the side towards Akame and Tatsumi for confirmation. "How about you guys? Are you okay with this?" He asked them.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." The brunette replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

The raven remained silent for a moment, weighing her options. "Yes, but under one condition."

"Which is?" Akira spoke up, waiting for Akame to continue.

"Tatsumi must stay and train alongside you." Akame told her.

The young swordsman looked surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Think of it as an opportunity for the two of you to level yourselves up." The raven explained. "Not to mention, I don't trust Master Gensei. I'd feel a lot better if Akira wasn't here by herself." She admitted, eyeing the old swordsman warily.

"Fair enough." Gensei chuckled, and he then looked towards Tatsumi. "So, young man, will you accept your friend's terms? I certainly don't mind training another individual seeking improvement."

"Since Akame feels so strongly about this, then yeah, I'll do it! Besides, now that I thought about it for a bit... I'm not going to let Akira leave me in the dust, I'm going to improve too!" The brunette eagerly accepted this opportunity.

The redhead playfully rolled her eyes. "As if I'd lose to you!"

"Well then, I guess it's settled." Bulat smiled proudly at the newcomers. "Is two weeks under your training regimen good enough for you, Master Gensei?" He asked.

The old master nodded his head in response. "That should be plenty of time."

"Alright then. Akame, I think it's time for us to head back home. We have Maye plants to deliver." The veteran announced, picking up his bags. "Thank you for everything, Master Gensei."

Akame nodded, picking up her belongings as well. The two members bid their farewells to both Akira and Tatsumi and left the temple.

"We will have dinner within an hour and afterwards, I suggest you two head off to bed. Your training will begin tomorrow morning, bright and early." Master Gensei advised them.

"Thank you master."

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, Akira and Tatsumi stood on the temple courtyard as they waited to face their new master.

"How long do we need to stand around for?" The brunette asked rather impatiently.

"As long as we need to." The redhead responded as she fixed the sleeves of her temple robes.

Master Gensei had insisted that the two of them should wear robes to accommodate their training, and Akira and Tatsumi didn't exactly argue with the old man.

The swordsman pouted. "I'm tired of waiting though! I don't know about you Akira, but I certainly couldn't sleep since I was super excited to start training with Master Gensei!" He spoke, excitedly as he flashed a goofy grin towards his teammate.

"Yeah, well, we may be teammates and all Tatsumi but..." The kickboxer trailed off a bit as she gave the boy a challenging glare. "I am not going to lose to you. Not to you, not to anyone, you understand?"

"Oh, I understand alright!" Tatsumi didn't back down either. "Akame and the others have legendary weapons at their beck and call, but not us... We need to work harder than anyone else on the team! I want to get stronger too, you know, I won't lose to you either and that's a promise!"

"Hm. Such a spirited rivalry, reminds me of my days back in the Imperial Army." Master Gensei smiled a bit as he finally made his presence known, his fellow masters following behind him.

"Master Gensei!" Tatsumi and Akira immediately bowed in respect to the old swordsman. "Good morning, master! We apologize for not noticing you earlier."

Gensei waved a dismissive hand, letting them know that it was fine. "It is alright. Now, I see that you're both wearing your robes and so I suppose that introductions are in order." He stepped to the side a bit as he decided to introduce his elderly companions. "These are Masters Yusha, Kuro, and Chie."

Master Yusha was a tall, muscular man with a gray three-point beard and spiky hair on the sides of his head. He wore no shirt and loose fitting short pants, and he also had bandages around his legs and forearms. He wields a black broad sword and a small blade in combat.

Master Kuro was a lean-built man with gray, spiky hair who wore a bodysuit similar to a ninja outfit as popularly depicted, along with a scarf. He also wore bandages around his forearms and legs. He wields a standard Katana.

And finally, Master Chie was a man with long gray hair on the back of his head and long eyebrows. He wore a samurai outfit similar to Gensei's. He carries an unusually long Katana.

"Like myself, they are also very skilled fighters. And for the next two weeks, the two of you will learn from all four of us, but do not think even for a moment that this training will be easy." Master Gensei warned them.

Akira scoffed. "We know that it won't be easy."

"But that doesn't mean we won't give it our all!" Tatsumi spoke, determined as he flashed a huge grin.

"These youngsters certainly have spunk, eh Gensei?" Master Yusha chuckled. "Do you think they have potential?"

"Most certainly. I have no doubt that they will meet our expectations, I can almost sense it." Master Gensei answered with confidence.

"Seriously?" Master Kuro was not so impressed. "We need to babysit these brats now? Gensei, I'm a very busy man. I can't just sit here and train these ingrates!" He practically whined. "You say they hold promise, and I say they don't!"

Akira sneered, sending a defiant scowl towards the ninja. "What's wrong you old fart? My friend and I are not good enough for you, is that it?"

Kuro glared at her. "What was that?!"

"Is that a nerve I touched?" The redhead spoke, incredulously as the sneer stayed plastered on her face. Satisfied in getting his attention. "Aw! Did I hurt Mr. Ninja's feelings now?" She continued to mock him.

"You've got quite the tongue there, girly." Kuro said irritably, about ready to unsheathe his Katana.

Tatsumi immediately stepped in before things got out of hand. "What my friend meant to say was, we would like to prove our dedication to you. You know, so that it won't be a waste of time for you! Please Master Kuro, give us a chance. I promise that you won't be disappointed!" He pleaded.

"That's not what I said!" Akira pushed the boy aside. "I am quite capable of defending myself, Tatsumi!"

"I highly doubt that! You barely have any tact!" The brunette pointed out to her.

"That may be true, to some extent, but I do know when to shut up. However..." The kickboxer glared at him, but her glare wasn't menacing. She was just stating a mere fact of her own. "I find it quite difficult to keep my mouth shut when somebody gets on my nerves. I just have to say the truth, all nice and blunt, just for the cunt."

"It seems that this red flower has its thorns, but she's no rose." Master Chie chuckled. "No, no, she has yet to bloom, but I have no doubt that when she decides to blossom she will be the very definition of "Ultimate beauty."

Both apprentices were confused. "What?"

"This is no time for your red flower philosophy, Chie." Kuro sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes.

"Well then, does this mean you'll train them along with us, Kuro?" Master Yusha asked him.

The ninja scoffed. "As if!"

"Now, now, this won't do." Master Gensei stepped in before things got out of hand. "I made an old pupil a promise, and it is a promise I intend to keep." The old swordsman looked at the apprentices. "Meet us at the dojo. Your training is about to begin."

"Yes master!"

* * *

"Keep your arms up!"

"Widen your stance!"

"Move faster, faster!"

Shouts from Masters Yusha, Chie, and Kuro kept on going like that as both Tatsumi and Akira battled each other in Martial Arts inside the dojo. Master Gensei and his fellow geezers wanted to see what their new apprentices were made of before they progressed from here. Unlike his old comrades, Gensei was the only who silently observed his young pupils as they tested themselves.

 **Dammit!** Tatsumi thought in frustration as he delivered a series of punches against Akira, but to his dismay the redhead either blocked them with her arms or dodged them with ease. **Then, how about...this?!**

The brunette suddenly lowered himself to the ground, catching the kickboxer by surprise as he then proceeded with a leg sweep, knocking Akira off her feet. As surprised as she was at first, it didn't last for very long for the redhead to get adjusted for this sudden turn of events. Akira let her hands touch the ground and put as much weight as she could to keep herself elevated so that she can maneuver her body to deliver a roundhouse kick.

Tatsumi wasn't expecting that and he barely had any time to block the attack. The force of the redhead's kick was strong enough to push him back a couple of steps. **Dang... That didn't work either. How about this?!**

The young swordsman did a running charge to tackle Akira, who was about to ready herself into a combat stance, but it too late as Tatsumi caught her off guard by tackling her to the ground. Dazed from being thrown down, the redhead shook her head as she knocked the boy off of her. Akira only managed to get up to her knees until Tatsumi was behind her, arms hooked under Akira's armpits and hands holding her head in a hold.

The kickboxer clenched her teeth in attempt to not cry out. The pressure Tatsumi was putting in her arms because of the hold was almost unbearable. Almost, and Akira feared that if she struggled against him then the swordsman would just put more pressure to hold her down until she gave up. This wasn't the first time the kickboxer was in a similar jam like this. Her fights in the ring were proof of that, but the doesn't mean that getting out of situations like these were easy. It never is.

 **Think Akira, think...!** The redhead thought desperately for a solution. The pain in her arms are becoming unbearable by the second. **Wait... That's it! Oh man, this is going to hurt like a bitch...**

It not only felt weird but it was also a bit disturbing. Tatsumi couldn't really describe it, it felt like something slipped out of place along with a pop sound, and soon afterwards it felt limp in his hands as the arm he was holding wasn't being supported anymore. Admittedly, he wasn't sure if he broke it but that still didn't stop him from backing off from the kickboxer. The brunette's viridian eyes widened upon noticing Akira's left shoulder got dislocated...

"What the hell was that?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, horrified.

"What do you think it looks like? I purposely dislocated my shoulder." Akira replied casually, and she then took a deep breath as she prepared to pop the shoulder blade back in place in its socket. A loud, unpleasant pop resonated throughout the dojo and the redhead couldn't help but smirk as Tatsumi's face cringed, flinching from the sound. "It caught you off guard, huh?"

From the sidelines each master looked more surprised than the other on this turn of events, while one in particular looked more disturbed than impressed.

"Impressive." Master Yusha praised as he crossed his arms.

Master Chie put a hand to his chin, having watched the match intently. "Very resourceful... Risky, but resourceful."

"That's gross." Master Kuro commented in disgust, trying to suppress a shiver but failed in doing so.

"Oh?" Master Gensei looked surprised at the ninja. "I didn't know that you were the type to be squeamish at these kind of things, Kuro. Does it make you uncomfortable?" He asked, teasing his comrade.

The other two old men snickered a bit from hearing Gensei's assumption, and Kuro merely scowled at the old swordsman. "Shut. Up."

"Okay, I'll admit it, you've caught me off guard." Tatsumi accepted defeat. After that surprising stunt and the rather disturbing, unpleasant aftermath... He would rather be the loser than go to round two. The brunette wouldn't want the kickboxer to purposely dislocate anything else. **And, she did it all by herself? Just like that... But, but-** "But... WHY WOULD DO THAT TO YOURSELF?! Are you insane?! Doesn't that hurt? If you dislocate your shoulder, it will never be the same again! Your shoulder will easily slip out of place!" He ranted.

Akira massaged her shoulder and flexed her arm, quietly listening to the boy as he ranted. "First of all, yes, it does hurt. It's been a while since I've done that so it feels like I did it for the first time, even though that's obviously not the case... Secondly, I have been fighting for so long that this bad habit became second nature to me. Back then, I could do it as many times as I wanted and the pain I felt was a minor pinch with how fast I could dislocate my limb and pop it back into place. I did everything I could think of just to catch my opponent off guard or just anything to bring them closer to me really. That is simply how I fight..."

 **I forgot. Akira was forced to fight in a life or death environment just to survive...** The young swordsman thought in realization, feeling ashamed of himself for forgetting such a fact.

"Akira. Tatsumi." Master Gensei called out to them. "Did the two of you had a master of some sort prior to this?" He asked them, watching his apprentices intently.

"Well, I guess... I used to have this old veteran back in my home village. He used to be a former Martial Arts instructor, or so he said, and he even taught me swordsmanship along with a couple of tricks being a Blacksmith." Tatsumi replied, recalling some memories.

Akira hugged herself with her arms, almost as if to shield herself. "I was self-taught, mostly..."

"Hm, interesting...very interesting indeed." Gensei put a hand up to his chin, deep in thought. **These two definitely hold some promise, but they have a long way to go in order for them to reach their full potential. They need to improve on their Martial Arts. At most, they're proficient in hand-to-hand combat, but they could use some polishing in their skills. I can mostly teach Tatsumi on the way of the sword since the young lad is a capable swordsman, but Akira...** "Aside from close combat, do you wish to learn the way of the sword?"

"I'm eager to learn, if you're offering, but don't expect me to be on par with Tatsumi in that department." The kickboxer answered honestly.

"Very well then." The old swordsman looked towards his comrades. "Yusha, Chie, Kuro, how would you all like to proceed from here? Do any of you want to train them personally, equally, or both?"

"We could do both. I don't mind sharing pupils." Master Yusha crossed his arms, a proud grin showing up on his face. "Especially, ones that are striving to become stronger."

"I agree with Yusha. I can handle Meditation training and he can handle Martial Arts. Is this alright with you, old friend?" Master Chie asked him.

The muscular geezer nodded his head in affirmative. "I have no objections."

Master Gensei then stared at the ninja, who had yet to speak. "How about you, Kuro? Do you wish to train them personally, equally, both, or none?" He questioned his comrade.

The old swordsman wouldn't be surprised if Kuro denies in training the apprentices, probably claiming that it was a waste of time and effort let alone he wasn't going to babysit children. The old ninja was not only picky but out of all the masters here in this dojo Kuro is the hardest one to impress, but as fate would have it...

"Spitfire."

Akira looked at everyone in the dojo, only to find out she was the only person with the appropriate hair color for such a nickname. She pointed to herself. "Are you referring to me?"

"Who else did you think I was referring to?" Master Kuro spoke, rhetorically as he raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Spit...fire...?" The redhead didn't know whether to be annoyed or insulted. Maybe both?

Sensing her frustration, Tatsumi stepped in between them before things got out of hand. "Calm down Akira, I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. Spitfire sounds kind of cool when you think about it!"

"Don't you tell me to calm down! The old fart practically called me a Phlegm!" Akira practically exploded.

The brunette looked confused. "A Flan?"

"Not a dessert, you dimwit!" The kickboxer face palmed at Tatsumi's mispronunciation of the word. She could at least understand why he thought of Flan though, they did sound pretty similar. Kind of. "He called me a Phlegm as in thick mucus, spit, bloody spit mind you, which clearly emphasizes my hair color!" She explained it to him.

"I think you're reading a bit too much on the nickname... I'm pretty sure that Master Kuro was being harmless." Tatsumi reassured her.

"Oh no, she's right." Master Kuro spoke up, clarifying that Akira was indeed correct about her assessment and she had every right to be angry.

 **Jeez... How childish can an old man be?** The young swordsman thought in dismay.

Akira gave a not so gentle punch to the boy's shoulder. "I told you, I told you I was right!"

"Forgive him. Kuro is as honest as they come." Master Gensei apologized on the ninja's behalf.

"Now Spitfire, I need you to listen **_very_** carefully cause I am going to say this once... I hate repeating myself." Master Kuro warned her. "Admittedly your gross, disturbing stunt earlier was very impressive. It was amazing that you were able to get out of that pinch by startling your opponent and as Chie himself pointed out earlier...that was both risky and resourceful. As a ninja, resourcefulness is my specialty and if you'd like, I could give you some pointers with your Aura. By having control over it, you'd be able to sense people out just by mannerisms or body language, and it would really help you out in the long run by paying attention to every little detail. So, what do you say? Are you in or out? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity kid so choose wisely..."

"That does sound kind of cool, but I don't know..." The redhead mumbled out.

Admittedly, being personally trained by one of the masters is a privilege since Akira herself is eager to learn given the opportunity, but considering who the master is...

"Come on Akira, I'd say you should give it a try! It's not everyday that you and I get to learn like this." Tatsumi encouraged her. He then came close enough to the redhead to whisper, _"Besides, you'll only have to put up with Master Kuro for two weeks. It'll fly by before you know it."_

 **He does have a point...** Akira thought in agreement, sighing so as she sent a glare towards the ninja.

Kuro looked rather impatient in having to wait for her answer. "Come on Spitfire, I haven't got all day! My offer is going once...going twice...going thrice-"

"I'll do it." The kickboxer responded, albeit begrudgingly. **Let's get this over with.** She bowed her head to her personal master. "I'm looking forward to training with you, Master Kuro. Please. Teach me."

The ninja was not only surprised but also pleased by Akira's answer. He even grinned, though it was a cocky one. "Finally! Now, THAT'S more like it! An apprentice such as yourself should learn their place and always treat their master with the respect they deserve!"

Needless to say, Tatsumi and the other masters merely rolled their eyes at the ninja's arrogance.

 **Somebody please shoot me.** The redhead thought deadpanned, already regretting her decision.

"Listen up, Spitfire! You can train with the other geezers throughout the day, but once nightfall comes...that's when you and I shall start training together as master and pupil!" Master Kuro declared.

"What? You're not going to start training me right away?" Akira asked him.

"Nope!" Kuro stuck his tongue out to her. "I'm a ninja. And in my line of occupation, I operate during the shadows of the night. Furthermore, I have important **_'errands'_** to attend to..." He explained, mentioning the last part with a knowing glance towards Gensei and his other comrades, who nodded in understanding.

"O-Okay..." The kickboxer looked a bit displeased as a small pout showed up on her lips, but ultimately she understood Kuro's explanation.

The ninja stuffed his hands into his pockets as he was leaving the dojo, but before he did Kuro glanced at Akira. The sudden stare off lasted for about a minute before the old ninja swiftly flicked the girl's forehead, which in turn made Akira give out a satisfied yelp as Kuro began howling in his own laughter as he finally left the premises.

The kickboxer growled angrily, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. "I hate him...!"

"Kuro is as pompous as ever. Oh well, forget about him..." Master Yusha commented before he turned to look at the apprentices. "At any rate, I call first dibs in training you two. We can start with a run through a mountain trail which will lead us to a clearing, we can even meditate under a waterfall there to cool ourselves off right afterwards, and then we can run back here to the temple in time for lunch. How does that sound?" He asked them.

Tatsumi and Akira had excited grins on their faces, feeling pumped up for the challenge. "Bring it on!"

* * *

After Master Yusha's training, the apprentices made it on time for lunch, and soon after Master Gensei decided to take over on their training. The old swordsman was teaching his pupils everything he knew about the way of the sword. Between Tatsumi and Akira, the young swordsman was much more proficient in his swordsmanship. Therefore, Gensei proceeded to teach Tatsumi on a new sword style first before going to Akira and teaching her the basics. Personally, Akira didn't mind on waiting. She really has no idea on what will she be doing and what to expect. Plus, the redhead would like to see Tatsumi in action.

"Iaidō is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing your sword and responding to a sudden attack. Iaidō is associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing your sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard." Master Gensei tutored the boy, putting his hand on his sword's handle. "Pay attention. I will perform this in a second..."

Within a blink of an eye, the old swordsman stood in front of a tree and about a second later he was on the other side of it, returning his sword back to its scabbard. Tatsumi and Akira stared at awe as the tree their master cut through finally fell, causing a small tremor on the ground.

"T-That was...AWESOME!" The brunette's viridian eyes light up, heading over to the tree's stump and began passing his hand on the bark. It was rough but smooth, meaning that Gensei's cut was clean. "Can I try it next? Can I, can I?" He asked rather excitedly.

Master Gensei chuckled. "Before you start slicing things up, we must first start with the basics."

Tatsumi groaned in disappointment, clearly knowing that it was going to be boring learning from the start.

"Patience, young one." The old swordsman told him. "You have to start somewhere and I am telling you from personal experience that a tree would be a bad start for a beginner such as yourself."

"I understand..." The brunette responded, having a small pout all the while.

Gensei approached the tree stump and took out a single filled bottle from his robes, placing it there. "If you manage to slice this bottle in half within the next two weeks, I'll teach you something cool. How does that sound?"

Tatsumi's eyes light up yet again. "Challenge accepted!"

"Good." Master Gensei smirked. "Now, show me your best Iaidō form."

The young swordsman readied himself into his combat stance. He laid his right hand on top of his sword handle, and when he drew out his sword... It went flying, slipping out of Tatsumi's grasp.

The old master gasped in horror.

And Akira let out a scream, ducking and diving to the ground to avoid the sharp blade. Tatsumi's sword got embedded on a tree a couple of yards away.

The redhead let out a shaky breath before sending a glare towards the brunette's way. "Yo! Watch it! I almost got impaled!"

"S-Sorry Akira!" The young swordsman apologized. "My bad..."

"Let's just stick to sword swings for now, shall we?" Master Gensei suggested, eyeing Tatsumi with amusement.

Tatsumi laughed uneasily. "Sounds good, master."

* * *

After Master Gensei's lesson the rest of the afternoon the apprentices practiced Meditation with Master Chie, although it wasn't much of a training lesson considering Tatsumi had a hard time getting the hang of things...

"I just don't get it!" The brunette exclaimed in frustration.

"You just need time to adjust." Master Chie reassured him. "Concentrate, and clear your mind of all thoughts, but most of all...relax. Like your red flower friend, follow her example."

Tatsumi glanced over at Akira, who was silently meditating, or at least she looked like it... "Um, Master Chie, I think..." He mumbled as he waved his hand near the redhead's face, and he received some snores in response. "Yeah, she's asleep." He confirmed.

"What?!" Chie gasped in surprise. "Oh well, at least she has the relaxation part down." He chuckled as he settled down a bit. "I guess a nap does nice right about now..."

"You can't be serious?" The swordsman said incredulously, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Child, when you get to be my age, all you want to do is find ways to relax." The samurai told the boy as he closed his eyes, a yawn escaping past the old man's lips. "Although, retirement isn't for everybody...being old is..."

Tatsumi called out to him. "Master Chie?"

Snores coming from Chie and Akira were the only responses the brunette received.

"Good grief..." Tatsumi sighed, standing up and started heading towards the temple. "I guess I'll keep practicing Iaidō with Master Gensei."

* * *

 _Akira lay on the dungeon floor, drifting in and out of consciousness. Her body ached with injuries from her most recent fight on the arena, as if the nerve pains she's receiving from her armor and shackles weren't bad enough... A month had passed since her imprisonment and each moment she spent here was hell._

 _The redhead focused on anything, anything but the pain she was currently going through. **Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.**_

 _Akira kept her eyes closed and make her body relax as much as possible while enhancing her ability to extract and contract all of her muscles. It wasn't necessarily possible for her to move her body, but she tried her best to continue the art of meditation and her breathing exercises in order to maintain her muscle strength and size._

 _ **Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale-**_

" _Are you alive or dead?" A rough, familiar voice asked her throughout the darkness._

 _ **I wish it was the latter...** The redhead didn't need to look to know who it was. It was her captor. Obviously. "What do you want?" She spoke, deadpanned._

" _Can't I come and congratulate my crowd pleaser tonight?" Lupin commented, feign hurt. "You really gave that girl, Rachel, a run for her money! Or, should I say life?" He sneered._

 _Her hands started to shake and on reflex, Akira balled her hands into fists. "She didn't want to fight."_

" _A weakling with no will to live. Nothing more, nothing less..." The man stated, his face as stoic as ever._

" _She didn't want to fight." The redhead repeated once again. "That still doesn't make it right... None of this is right."_

" _I told you once and I will remind you once again: The strong feast upon the weak. That is the law of the land. Those who die are not strong enough to survive." Lupin reminded her about the cruelty of the Imperial Capital. "The fact that you are here means that you're strong. You did what you had to do in order to survive. To live."_

" _You're forcing me to kill! That's hardly survival and you know it!" Akira yelled at him, giving her captor the most defiant glare she could muster._

 _The man sneered. "And yet... You still did it, you still killed someone, you still killed people, why?"_

" _Oh no..." The kickboxer shook her head, already knowing where this was going. "Don't you DARE twist your words at me! I didn't ask for this! You son of a bitch! You're the one who brought me here! I never asked to be here!"_

" _Maybe so, but whether you like it or not... You got two options." Lupin told her straight out. "Either, you settle with the fact that you are going to fight for me and survive. Or, you could just drop dead on the next round. Simple. You certainly don't have to endure me along with the hell of being here as my prisoner, but..." He trailed off a bit, sneering so. "Will you still be willing to go through with that regardless of the fact in which your brother will be left in 'my care'? I mean, I personally don't care for the brat, I'm just keeping him here as collateral, but hey! You do you!"_

 _ **Fucker... I even bet that deep down he KNOWS that I wouldn't go through with it.** Akira thought with spite, gritting her teeth._

" _What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" The brunette asked her, approaching the redhead until they were face to face. He then squatted down to be in eye-level with her, grabbing a hold of her chin with a calloused hand. "No more insults? Defiance? Gimme something..."_

 _When he least expected it Akira bit the space between his thumb and index finger, she bit him hard enough to draw out blood. Lupin clenched his teeth as he used his free hand to give the redhead a backhand slap to the face. The force of it was enough for Akira to let go, but she still gave her captor the most fearsome, defiant glare that she could muster._

" _Look what you made me do. You made me hit your pretty face..." Lupin lamented as he brought his hand up to brush it against Akira's cheek, which in turn made the kickboxer turn her head away. He wouldn't be surprised if he gave her a bruise. "You're really a piece of work, you know that?" Her captor sighed a bit as he soothed his minor injury. He then looked at her, smirking a bit. "But that's what I like about you. Unlike the other brats in this place...you know what's important, you know what's at stake, and you use that to remind yourself of why you have to survive. This just further proves my point. You're strong, even if you don't know it yourself."_

 _ **You're wrong. I'm not strong. I'm not, I'm not...**_

* * *

Akira awoke abruptly from her nap. She gasped while giving a frantic look around her surroundings, and once she realized where she was and recalled on why she was here the redhead managed to calm down. A gentle breeze was blowing through the trees as it cooled Akira's skin with a reminder that it was about to be evening soon.

"Damn it..." The kickboxer buried her face in her bandaged hands.

"Well, that looked like a restless respite." Master Chie couldn't help but comment across from her. He was meditating the entire time, waiting for his student to awaken from her slumber. "You looked so peaceful earlier. I never met someone who slept through a Meditating session."

Akira bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry, Master Chie."

"It's fine, child. I had a fine nap myself." The samurai reassured. He then directed a question to her. "If you don't mind me asking, was your dream merely a nightmare or simply bad memories?"

"I-I guess bad memories. I don't know... I don't know why these memories keep haunting me." The redhead sighed. "I thought I've moved passed this, I mean, it's not like I'm trapped anymore..."

"Perhaps it is simply the body remembering." The old man suggested.

Akira inclined her head towards him, confused by his suggestion. "How so?"

"The physical, emotional, and mental stress that you went through. Your body could possibly be recalling the event as a reminder that the anniversary of the day is near, or maybe, you feel some sort of guilt concerning those memories." Master Chie provided possible answers for her. "Nevertheless, you will never be able to properly meditate and achieve inner peace. Not until you have finally reconciled with your troubles. That's what I believe."

"Depending on the severity, do you really think people might overcome these kinds of obstacles?" The kickboxer asked him.

"Everyone is different, my dear. All of us on this Earth each have our own way of dealing with our problems. Whether alone or with help, it is up to you." The samurai stood up from the ground, heading out of the forest. "Come, red flower, it is time for supper. We shall continue our training tomorrow."

Akira nodded, following suit. "Yes, Master Chie."

* * *

After dinner, Akira and Tatsumi had arrived to their room for the evening. The brunette collapsed on his futon on the floor while the redhead collapsed on the bed. Tatsumi had offered to sleep on the floor, much to Akira's reluctance to take his proposal, but the swordsman didn't want to hear any complaints about the matter and so the kickboxer ultimately decided to go along with his wishes.

"Man, I'm beat!" Tatsumi moaned for the umpteenth time this evening, burying his head on his pillow. "After today I could probably sleep through the whole year..." He yawned.

"Don't yawn, it's conta-" It was then Akira's turn to yawn. She shook her head afterwards. "Damn it! Now you've got me all sleepy..."

The brunette gave a lazy grin. "Says the one who fell asleep in the middle of a lesson today." He teased.

"Shut up!" Akira threw her pillow at him, causing the swordsman to howl with laughter. "I don't know about you, but I couldn't sleep last night... I was anxious, I guess, to start our training today."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. I was like that too, but I was tired after the long hike to get here so sleep wasn't much of a problem for me." Tatsumi told her.

"Lucky. I wish I could sleep like that most the time..." The redhead sighed in envy, standing up from the bed. She then started to head out the room. "See ya later."

"You're not going to sleep?" The swordsman asked her.

Akira whined, her shoulders slumping so. "I would love to, but a certain old fart told me that my training with him will be during nighttime. I swear, that guy has no respect for sleep..."

 **That sucks!** Tatsumi genuinely felt sorry for his friend, but decided to keep the thought to himself in fear of setting the kickboxer off in a rage frenzy. "Do you want a hug?"

"The offer sounds nice, but I'll probably pancake-squish you in your sleep later." The redhead warned him as she left the room. "Goodnight, Tatsumi."

The brunette chuckled as he settled into the covers of his futon. "That sounds fair..." He mumbled sleepily, dozing off soon after.

* * *

Darkness. Darkness all around in the dead of night. It was pitch black to the point where Akira couldn't even see her own hand being waved in front of her own face. That was because she couldn't. For this training exercise, Master Kuro instructed the redhead to wear a blindfold over her eyes. Personally, Akira doesn't understand the point of this exercise. It was already the dead of night. What was the point of her wearing a blindfold? She wouldn't be able to see much anyway, but the ninja kept insisting that she should.

Kuro said something about her supposedly being able to sense him by his Aura through instinct. That's the thing though... The kickboxer doesn't understand HOW should she be able to do that! Akira's instincts were already going haywire at the fact that she couldn't see her surroundings. She could hear her own heartbeat with her ears and feel her heart throbbing against her ribs and her breath hyperventilating because of the adrenaline.

A sharp object slashed through the redhead's robe, cutting her skin. Akira hissed as she staggered a bit to gather her bearings. Her whole body was covered with cuts. They weren't live threatening or anything, but it was frustrating being attacked and not being able to do something about it. "Damn it...!"

"Jeez girl, get it together!" Master Kuro bemoaned for umpteenth time, clearly irritated. "If this was a real fight, you'd be dead right now! Guaranteed!"

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do! I'm basically dodging for my live or at least trying to! I hear you, but I can't see you!" The redhead complained, taking off her blindfold. "What kind of Aura training is this?"

"That's the point! You AREN'T supposed to see me." The ninja told her. He then began to tell her a battle scenario. "Right now, I'm your enemy. I have the advantage, obviously, and you're temporarily blind while struggling to stay alive. Your eyes are failing you and so you cannot trust them in this fight. The only thing you have at your disposal is your Aura. What do you sense from me right now?"

"I don't know. Irritation?" Akira guessed.

"Correct, Sherlock." Kuro rolled his eyes. "Look, Aura is perceived to be many things since the beginning of time. Some people think that it's the gateway to someone's heart and seeing their true nature, others think of it as an imprint to fix firmly on the mind, memory, etc. But most of all, people nowadays think of it as intent."

The redhead passed a hand through her wavy locks, trying to process all of the information. "So, what you're telling me is that Aura is based on emotion?"

"Pretty much." The ninja nodded his head.

"Do you have any pointers on how to make this exercise a bit easier for me?" Akira asked him, hoping to get through to him.

Kuro sneered, tying the blindfold back on again for his disciple. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out on your own. Let us resume." He declared, heading off towards a good distance to throw projectiles.

The kickboxer sighed. "Damn it..."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Main Street**

A disturbing event occurred several days later. Main Street was bustling with gossip as a huge group of people crowded over near a crime scene to sate their curiosities, some looked horrified while others stared in shock as they watched members of the Imperial Guard work through their investigation to figure out what happened.

Mine had arrived soon after to join up with Lubbock. "What's going on? Were more people killed?" She asked him, out of breath since she ran all the way here.

"Yeah..." The greenlette's face remained stone cold, trying to wrap his head around on what might have caused the victims to die so unexpectedly. "Apparently some victims bled out and collapsed. No witnesses." He responded.

"It's the same M.O as the other incidents that's been happening lately." The pinklette stated before her eyes drifted upon the corpse of a mere child. "...Even kids..."

"This is the doing of the White Brows Association _._ They've been more active than Night Raid recently." Lubbock deducted, thinking that this is the only logical explanation to the recent incidents in the Capital.

Before they could discuss things further however... A loud familiar voice called out to them in greeting. "Yo! Can you two lend me some money?"

"Ah, the thoughtless happy one is here." Mine couldn't help but retort.

"If you want us to lend you more money, return what you borrowed first!" The wired tactician demanded, pointing accusingly towards the outlaw.

Upon noticing Leone's grin, the sniper decided to guess. "I bet you blew it all on gambling again, didn't you."

The blonde approached her comrades and brought them close in a headlock-like-hug, catching both members by surprise, and Lubbock certainly wasn't one to complain considering he was so close to a pair of ample breasts. "This time I actually used it for investigating." Leone answered her, catching the pinklette by surprise yet again.

Mine gasped. "Then that means..."

"Yeah." The outlaw's grin widened. "We have a request."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout, Conference Room**

About an hour later, all the veteran members of Night Raid gathered in the conference room to discuss their next job.

"Our target this time is the White Brows Association." Najenda announced to them, lighting a cigar. "The famous assassins who're causing quite the stir in the Capital recently."

This news seemed to peek Sheele's interest. "So they're in the same line of work as we are."

"The fundamental difference between us is that they'll kill anyone as long as they get paid." Leone stated, crossing her arms. "They've earned a lot of animosity from various people."

"Do you even know where their hideout is?" Lubbock asked her.

The outlaw grinned confidently, leaning her arm against the top of the tactician's head. "Don't worry Lub, I manged to pin them down." She reassured, and she soon followed to reveal the identities of their targets. "Four elderly men living in a temple in the mountains near the Capital. That's who and where they are."

Both Akame and Bulat stiffened significantly at hearing Leone's answer, but they have remained silent until the blonde finished briefing them.

"Unlike us, who take great lengths to cover our trails, their actions are too flashy. They're too sloppy." The lion shifter continued on. "I found someone bragging that he made a request to them in a slum bar, and he spilled everything. And the info I got from the information broker was more or less the same." She finished with a smirk.

"...We've met those elderly men before. When we were talking to them, I sensed a murderous intent for a moment." The sword master admitted to them.

Bulat had a look of disbelief across his features. "Yeah... But wasn't that just a light provocation because he was eager to fight us?" He asked her.

"No, it was too strong for that." Akame responded. "Akira and Tatsumi must've sensed it themselves too, but they probably thought the same conclusion as you, Bulat."

 **Ah, that's why she wanted Tatsumi to stay behind with Akira...** The veteran realized, suddenly feeling ashamed if his inattentiveness.

And to further prove her line of thinking, Akame provided more explanation. "And if those masters were the culprits, then the mysterious murder method also makes sense. If they're cut down quickly enough, the victims won't realize what had happened to them, and take several steps after the fact. If that's the case, the bystanders wouldn't see the precise moment when the killing attack happened, and when the victims fall down, the culprit will no longer be next to them. That's why there are no witnesses."

Lubbock gaped his mouth open in surprise. "I understand what you're saying, but... If they can do all that, they're invincible!"

Even Mine looked uneasy. "They're formidable enemies."

Bulat still seemed to be at a loss. This didn't sound like his old master he knew back in his basic days in the Imperial Army at all...

"Well, he was always fearsome... But he wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately. He was such a straight-laced, bastard back when he was in the army that even some of the high ranked officials hated him. So...why...?" Bulat's face held so much anger, grief, and many questions were popping up at the forefront of his mind. Trying to find a reason on why his old teacher would commit such an act.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute!" Leone spoke up, interrupting them. "So, you guys are telling me that you left Tatsumi and Akira with these assassins? Are you insane?!"

"Leone, what's your point? We aren't any better." Mine admitted to her, stating a fact.

"Yeah, aren't we assassins too?" Sheele questioned.

The blonde growled in frustration. "The POINT is we need to go and rescue them, like, ASAP!"

"All of you can move out as soon as you're able." Najenda granted them permission to leave. "Good luck, everyone."

* * *

 **Outskirts of the Capital, Deep in the Mountains**

It was past midnight or possibly early morning. The temple was quiet with the only sound being the wind blowing through the trees in the forest.

Master Gensei sat meditating inside his dojo. The old swordsman's eyes opened however upon hearing footsteps approach him. It was his former pupil. "...Bulat."

The veteran looked intimidating upon his appearance. His face was stone cold, meaning business and was in no mood to fool around. He strode over to his former master, a sense of purpose filling each step as he got closer.

"That's some impressive murderous intent." Gensei noticed, sensing his Aura. "So you've found out that I'm part of the White Brows Association, and have come to cut me down."

Both master and pupil had a stare down before Bulat broke the silence to ask him a question. "...Before we start, can I ask why you would do something like this?"

The mad swordsman sneered and began to speak about his tale...

* * *

 **A/N2: PHEW! That's it for chapter 11 folks! I ended it here because those of us who read the manga already know how this particular chapter ends. Admittedly, this chapter in particular has been tough to write filler scenes on there compared to Sheele's extra chapter, but I did my best and I am quite happy with what I wrote. If some of you are a bit dissatisfied with Tatsumi/Akira's training regimen for this chapter, don't worry, I'll be continuing it on future chapters as flashbacks because as you can clearly see this chapter turned out to be a long one than I expected... Which is fair, since I left you guys hanging for a bit over the holidays.**

 **By the way, I have two quick questions for you guys: What is YOUR interpretation of Aura for the Akame Ga Kill! Series? Unfortunately, the series itself didn't do a very good job in giving an explanation on how Aura works for this particular anime/manga. I tried my best to write about it based on what** _ **I**_ **think about Aura on this chapter, but I don't know...**

 **Second question: Did you guys like the little spin for Tatsumi in this chapter? I personally felt that Tatsumi should've stayed behind and trained with the old masters and learn some swordsmanship skills. Yeah, I know, he technically has Akame to help him on that department but I still stand by my choice for the sole fact that Tatsumi really needs to get stronger. I hated the fact that after Tatsumi's fight with Ogre... He's been a practical damsel in distress throughout the rest of the series. By the way, when am saying this I am not counting Incursio, because ever since he acquired that Teigu Tatsumi has been depending on it. He depended on it so much to the point where he turned into an actual dragon and the entire time I've read through the manga I was like, "This totally could've been avoided Tatsumi!". So, yeah, that's basically my rant for this question.**

 **Anyway, please let me know what you guys think on your reviews! The support for this story is just awesome and I really appreciate it. You guys are awesome! Until next time! XD**


	12. Kill the Intimacy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski for reviewing my last chapter! I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Kill the Intimacy**

 **Imperial Capital, Back Alleys**

Ragged breaths and heavy footsteps filled the alleyway, echoing on the cobblestones in the dead of night. A man ran for all his worth, trying to get as far away as possible from his pursuer. When he made it to the corner of the wall, the man hid, holding his breath in attempt to not make noise. He tensed up the moment he heard his pursuer's voice...

"What's wrong Phil? I thought we were having a good time." A female called out to him in the darkness. "This Hide-n-Seek is making me think that you're worried about something..."

 **That little bitch...!** Phil thought exasperatedly, quietly taking out a survival knife from his coat pocket.

The man dared to take a peek, and when he did a bandaged hand darted out for his throat. Before the assailant could get a hold of him, Phil lashed out with his weapon on reflex, stabbing the aggressor's forearm. Hearing a hiss of pain as confirmation that he indeed hit his target, he felt confident enough to strike again.

 **This time I'll get her in the stomach!** Phil thought in determination, already prepared to deliver the next blow.

As fate would have it, the man wasn't so lucky to land a hit this time. The redhead read him like a book as she was able to block the brunt of the blow with her right hand, willingly stabbing herself in the process. Startled, Phil threw a punch coming her way, but Akira was ready for him, easily catching his fist. Using this new position to her advantage, the kickboxer began to close her right hand into a fist as much as she could with the knife still in there, and with precise agility the redhead twisted her hand along with the weapon as far as possible.

As expected, Phil cried out in pain as he was forced to let go of the knife. Before Akira could get the upper hand, the man managed to do a quick leg sweep, catching his aggressor off guard. The moment the redhead lost her balance and fell on the ground, Akira's target managed to slip away further down the alley...

"Dammit!" The kickboxer cursed under her breath as she tried to stand up, wincing as she realized that she had used her right hand to stop her descent, pushing the knife deeper into the palm of her hand. Her hand throbbed, but thankfully Akira's adrenaline was still in effect so it wasn't so bad at the moment.

 **At least I didn't give him the chance to stab anything important...** The redhead thought in relief, and she then took a deep breath as she grabbed a hold of the knife's handle with her free hand. With a quick forceful tug, Akira pulled out the knife, and afterwards she cradled her injured hand to her chest. **The bastard likes to stab people, huh? Then I'll give him something to stab...**

Having the routes of the alleyway memorized thanks to her briefing with Leone, Akira walked calmly towards the opposite route of her target with the survival knife in hand. There was no rush after all. The back alleys on this part of the Capital are full of dead ends so eventually the little mouse would have no choice but to come meet its prey...

Meanwhile on the other part of the alleyway maze, Phil ran as fast as his legs could take him. As he kept running, little by little his mind was starting to realize how minuscule his chances of survival are as he kept running into dead ends, and the more he thought about it the more panicked he became. The last thing he wanted to do was turn back and eventually run into his assailant, but this seemed like the only logical option to take regardless of it being suicide.

"Shit! Dammit!" The man cursed his inattentiveness. "Dammit, I really wish I still had my knife...!"

Phil finally broke the stare off with the wall and turned around. There was no one there. **Maybe, she gave up...?** He thought uneasy, hoping for some sort of miracle but deep down he knew that this silly wish of his was nothing more than a fallacy.

Mustering up his courage, the man started to head back whence he came and when he turned the corner...

Phil's mouth went agape in a breathless attempt to scream out, his body feeling paralyzed from the waist down. It was strange. One moment he felt numb and the next he felt unbearable agony as his abdomen had been disemboweled. In shock, Phil fell to his knees while putting his arms over his stomach in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

"If my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I think this would've been me back there if I hadn't blocked your attack..." Akira inquired quietly, but loud enough for her target to hear over his hyperventilating breaths. "Tell me... Does it hurt? It looks like it does."

The man managed to lift up his gaze to meet the redhead's. "W-What do you want from me?"

"I'll make this brief." The kickboxer crouched down so they could be face-to-face, holding the survival knife up to his throat. "My sources tell me that you're a member of the Deadly Vipers, you know, the very same group whose been causing quite the stir within the Capital recently... I hear that they like to sneak into residences and offer a house warming gift of sorts. How do you guys refer to it as? A 'Viper's Kiss'?"

The man began to shake, swallowing heavily as he had no choice but to listen.

"Breaking-n-Entering, having a _grand time_ with the females of every household while the men are forced to watch, and the finale being that there will be no witness after the crimes are committed. Of course, not before ransacking the houses after you were all done with that." The redhead smiled, though it did not look genuine in the slightest. "But, like I said, those seem to be rumors and it looks like you're my number one guy to check if this information is correct. So... Care to tell me about them?"

Phil's brown eyes widened in alarm, but he did not speak.

Displeased, Akira grabbed a fist full of his coat and brought him close. _"Phil, Phil, Phil... You and I both know_ _ **exactly**_ _how this works."_ She whispered as she relocated the knife from his throat up to the man's left ear, the bloodied blade cutting a bit of skin. _"Let's stop dancing around it, shall we? I want you to tell me_ _ **everything**_ _about the Deadly Vipers. What they've been doing and where to find them. And if I sense a lie coming from you, I'll make sure that the Imperial Guards won't be able to identify your body..."_

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Cemetery**

Mission complete.

After Akira finished with her "chat" with Phil, the redhead headed to the rendezvous point to meet up with one of the Revolutionary Army's spies and deliver the information she just learned to them. When they met up, they discussed business, and all went well without any complications.

"Good work!" The scout praised as he quickly wrote down the last bit of the details in his journal. He then closed the notebook as he flashed a grin to the kickboxer. "Miss Najenda was right about you! Straightforward and to the point, I like that!"

Akira was indifferent, shrugging her shoulders as if it was nothing. She really doesn't know how to take a compliment sometimes. "I'm full of surprises..."

"Whelp, I've got to head back to HQ." The spy headed back to his horse, getting up on the saddle. "I'll be sure to let my leader know to compensate you for your troubles. Miss Najenda will receive the payment and hand it to you personally once it arrives."

"Thanks." The redhead spoke in gratitude as she waved the young boy off, leaving on his horse towards the outskirts.

The suddenness of this meeting was completely unexpected for Akira. She initially thought that she was meeting up with a veteran of sorts within the rebel army, a full-grown man, she certainly wasn't expecting a kid. The young lad seemed to be around Takumi's age and he looked quite happy to be doing his part for the Revolution.

And honestly, it was a heartbreaking sight for the redhead. **He's so young... I guess this Revolution is dragging everyone into the mix. Men, Women, Children, whether they like or not depending on their circumstances...**

"Well, you certainly let that poor bastard have it back there." A familiar voice commented from behind the kickboxer, who got startled as she turned around to face the newcomer.

Akira's stance significantly relaxed at seeing her comrade. "Were you following me?"

Leone smiled. "You could say that."

"What? You thought I couldn't handle this mission on my own?" The redhead asked her.

"Nah, I knew you could handle it." The outlaw spoke, confidently as she crossed her arms.

Akira raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Then, why are you following me?"

The blonde stood her ground, though her tail gave the impression that the facade she was building up wasn't working so well. _"I was worried..."_ She mumbled.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"I said, _'I was worried.'_ " Leone repeated again, though she murmured the last part.

The kickboxer chuckled. "Blondie, you need to speak louder."

"I SAID I WAS WORRIED!"

"Oh." Akira said for a loss of words. She really didn't know whether to act annoyed or amused. Personally, the redhead is a really independent person by nature since she did a lot of things at a young age by herself. So it's really hard when someone hovers over her, which isn't a bad thing, but it makes Akira think that she's incompetent of taking care of herself. "Is this because this was my first solo mission?"

"Yes..." The lion shifter sighed in defeat. "At first I thought you might need some backup, but in the end I decided to let you handle it and so I would only step in if things got dicey. I was right. You could handle it on your own. But, can you blame me?" Leone grabbed a hold of Akira's injured hand, gently brushing over the bandaged hand by the knuckles with her thumb as she examined the wound for herself. "You're hurt..."

Startled by Leone's care, the kickboxer yanked her hand away from the outlaw's grasp, wincing a bit from the action. "The blood's not mine..." She gave a lame excuse to get Leone off her case.

"Don't lie to me. I know it's yours." The blonde stated a fact, definitely even more so since Leone is currently in her Beast form.

 **Stupid, damned Teigu of hers..!** Akira cursed in her thoughts.

"What am I going to do with you?" Leone sighed, patting the young girl's head. "Come on. Let's go to Gramps' place and get you patched up." She told the girl as she left the cemetery, letting Lionelle's Beast form to slip away.

"Sure..." The redhead mumbled quietly, slowly following behind her companion.

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Dr. Leonard's Clinic/Residence**

"Akira, darling, we really need to stop meeting like this." Dr. Leonard teased as he tended the girl's injury. "I guess I can give ya a pass. The last time I saw you girls was... Hmm, a month ago I think?" He recalled, and then his tone switched to concern. "Seriously though, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get hurt this time?"

Both Night Raid members blanched a bit as they were being stared at by the old man, who was waiting patiently for an answer.

The redhead was at a loss for words, trying to come up with a convincing story. "Uh..."

"A fight! In a bar!" The blonde blurted out, doing things half-arsed since she was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Akira here protected me from a couple of drunken perverts, who wouldn't take a hint when they were hitting on me, and my guardian angel here kindly punched their lights out!"

 **Moron.** Akira couldn't believe the complete and total utter blasphemy she was hearing coming out of the outlaw's mouth. The kickboxer groaned out loud as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand, feeling a headache coming on. **There are so many inconsistencies that even I don't know where to start...**

"Bullshit."

"Gramps!" Leone yelled out, shocked that her old caretaker said such a word. He may be a grown man, but it wasn't very often that she'd hear him talk like that.

"I'm sorry my Little Cub, but I even I have to admit that there are flaws to your story." Leonard stated a fact. "For one, if you're friend really fought against these ruffians, assuming that they're more than two men... How come she's not beaten up? Surely, she should have a couple of scrapes, maybe a fracture or two."

"Oh, please! Akira's a skilled fighter!" The outlaw stubbornly defended herself, still sticking to her story. "I mean, have you seen the bandages she wraps around her hands?! She's a very talented kickboxer, you know, she can punch your lights out in a heartbeat!"

"Speaking of bandages..." The doctor straightened his glasses, his viridian eyes twinkling as he smiled in amusement. "When does the weapon, which I assume is a survival knife, come into play in your little story?"

"What wound? The blood's not hers!" The blonde hastily blurted out once again, though after realizing what she had just said Leone face palmed. **IDIOT! We wouldn't even be here asking for his help if that was the case! I'm so stupid...**

Overall, Leone just wished that the ground would suddenly devour her whole just to escape the embarrassment somehow. Making a fool in front of her old man was one thing, she's always done that one way or another, but Akira... Oh, deep down, Leone just _**knew**_ that the redhead would not let her live this down...

Meanwhile on the sideline, Akira looked beyond irritated, clearly noticing that the lion shifter had used her lame lie from earlier. Only difference is that it totally made Leone look like a dunce in front of her old guardian. **That little bitch...!**

"Let's pretend I didn't hear that." Dr. Leonard did the outlaw a favor, though regardless the damage to her pride was already there. "Anyway, while I have no doubt about Red's talents, I still think that there's something amiss. Not to mention, between the two of you, Red here seems the least likely to get into that kind of trouble. You on the other hand..." Leo gave the blonde a look. "The Leone I know always starts a fight, and she always finishes it. You like getting caught up in the fun. If anything... I'd say these ruffians should be running away from YOU!"

Leone opened her mouth only to close it again a moment later, seemingly out of words to retaliate against the old man's claims. He was telling the truth after all. And so, in the end, the blonde pouted in defeat. "You really are the worst."

"That I am." Dr. Leonard laughed a bit before he turned serious, directing his gaze upon the two girls. "Listen, if it makes you feel any better, you don't have to tell me what happened. All I'm trying to say is: Please. Be careful." He pleaded with them. "While I certainly don't mind helping you girls out when you're in a jam, I'd like it if these visits weren't so...'bloody', so to speak. I don't know what you're doing nowadays, but I do worry. A lot. I'm certainly too old to see two strong, smart, beautiful young women getting into trouble all the time."

Akira was stunned. She'd never had someone, let alone a complete stranger, fret over her safety like that. At least, not since her parents... Though, Leo is a doctor. He has taken an oath to help everyone in need so she wouldn't be surprised if that was part of the reason. On the other hand, from what the redhead has observed from him, Leonard overall did have a caring and an almost carefree personality, similar to Leone's.

 **I can definitely see where she got it from...** The kickboxer thought with a smile.

"Gramps..." Leone was speechless, feeling guilt grasp at her heart since she had to lie to her old caretaker. Again. "I-I don't know what to say-"

"You girls can thank me by accompanying me to dinner tonight." The old man interrupted her, holding his hand out before the blonde could protest. "My treat, and I insist. I don't know about you, but I could certainly go for some Sake."

"Fine. I guess we could go..." The lion shifter conceded as she crossed her arms, not really sure how to feel about it all. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood anyway...

Akira looked surprised. "You don't sound so excited. The doctor actually invited us to dinner, he wants to drink Sake with you, AND he's paying for it all! It's free!" She exclaimed, trying to cheer her friend up with these facts. The redhead then looked at Leonard. "Hey Doc, I think your daughter might have a fever."

 **Daughter?** Both Leonard and Leone thought in confusion, their eyes widening in shock as they looked at one another. They weren't mad, but they were puzzled to hear that come out of Akira's mouth.

Unbeknownst to them, the kickboxer rambled on. "'Cause normally, the Leone I know would jump for an opportunity like this! She's a professional bum and mooches off of others on a daily basis."

"Hey!" Leone looked offended, a blush rising up to her cheeks in embarrassment from the redhead's claims. They were indeed true, but still!

"And, DON'T get me started on her gambling habits...!" Akira grumbled. "Like a month ago for example, she promised me some fun in spending a thousand gold coins only to lose them right off the bat on the first be-"

The blonde covered Akira's mouth, silencing her as she brought the young girl close. "Okaaay~! That's enough out of you tonight!" Surprisingly, the redhead quieted soon after only for her to start giggling, though it was slightly muffled under Leone's hand. Honestly, the outlaw had to admit that it was pretty cute. "You're such a minx, you know that! That was supposed to be our little secret!" Leone lightly chided the girl as she released her hold.

"Well, I still got you to react, didn't I?" The kickboxer smiled at her, and the lion shifter could've sworn she felt her heart flutter inside her chest.

 **Yep, definitely a minx...!** Leone thought irritably, groaning a bit for falling for the girl's trick.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right Red." Dr. Leonard agreed to Akira's previous statement, crossing his arms. "I guess you and I will be the ones to enjoy a delicious meal tonight since **_someone_** just 'threw my kindness in my face...'" He trailed off with a devilish grin.

"H-Hey now! Let's not get too hasty!" The outlaw perked up a bit, giving a shaky laugh. "I'd never turn down food, if it's offered, and if Sake's involved then... How can I possibly say no?"

"There's the Blondie I know!" Akira grinned, playfully punching the blonde's shoulder.

The doctor gave a hearty laugh. "I couldn't agree more. Now then, shall we finally head out ladies?" He asked them as he removed his lab coat, switching it to a casual jacket.

"Let's!" The redhead spoke, excitedly as she was the first one out of the clinic. "I'm starving!"

"Akira, wait up!" Leone called out to her, about to go after the girl but a hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so. The lion shifter looked over at her old guardian. "What is it Gramps?"

Leo looked towards the front door, keeping an eye out in case Akira came back. He leaned down a bit to whisper, _"I think I like this one..."_

The outlaw couldn't help but blush when she heard him say that, subconsciously smiling a bit. "Yeah...I think I do too..."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Leone's Neighborhood**

After exiting the clinic, the girls kindly told the doctor that they'd fancied eating ramen and pretty soon the man led them to a restaurant he frequently visited. Once there, the small group chatted and laughed until their meals finally arrived at their table.

Akira stared at the ramen bowl in front of her while simultaneously glaring at her right hand, which was covered in more bandages than usual. Although the meal smelled really good, the redhead couldn't bring herself to eat it because of her small predicament...

 **Why did I have to be right handed when I eat? This is torture!** The kickboxer thought exasperatedly as she fought to get a good grip on her chopsticks, only to fail once again as her utensils clattered on the wooden surface of the table. **I might as well starve! Why did I have to get stitches?!**

From the sideline, Leonard noticed the poor girl contemplating in her thoughts as he ate. It didn't take him long to figure it out. And pretty soon, a plan formed at the forefront of his mind. Smirking a bit through his chopsticks, the brunette elbowed Leone on the ribs to get her attention. The blonde glared at him and was about to unleash her wrath, but she glanced towards the doctor's line of sight...

Leone looked back at her guardian and whispered, _"What do you want me to do?"_

" _That's for you to decide, my Little Lioness."_ The doctor muttered in response, winking at her for good luck. _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading outside for a smoke."_

" _Wait, wait, wait!"_ Panicking on the inside, the outlaw grabbed a fistful of the man's jacket, keeping him grounded in place. _"You can't just leave me here alone! Besides, people would be staring at us!"_

" _And since when do you care about what other people think? Just focus on her, and not to mention... I did ask the hostess to sit us at the back, where is secluded, so you wouldn't have to worry about that in the first place."_ Dr. Leonard told her, laying his cards on the table so to speak.

Leone's golden eyes widened in shock. _"You already had this planned, didn't you?!"_ She accused him.

" _May~be I did or may~be I didn't. Who knows?"_

Before the lion shifter realized what was going on, her old caretaker had removed his jacket while he was still in her hold, leaving the coat in Leone's hands as he quickly exited the vicinity. "You really are the worst!"

"Who's the worst?" Akira asked, finally taking her attention away from her meal.

Leone noticed that she had said that out loud, and so she came up with an excuse. "O-Oh, it's nothing. It was something that Gramps said..."

"I see." The redhead nodded in understanding. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, of course!" The blonde insisted, dumping Leo's jacket on his chair.

"Okay."

 **Here goes nothing...** Leone thought a bit uneasy, mustering up her courage on the opportunity in front of her. "Akira, you have to eat."

"I'm not really hungry..." The kickboxer spoke, lamely as she tried to not stare at her food. The ramen smell was killing her on the inside.

The outlaw was not fooled even for a minute, but she decided to play along, if only for the moment. "What? But you were so excited to eat earlier, and you even said that you were practically starving!"

 **She knows I'm lying.** Akira thought in obvious realization, debating whether to keep dancing around the subject or to just screw her pride and straight out ask for the blonde's assistance.

In the end, she made up her mind. But before the redhead could even ask...her stomach growled almost as if it was mimicking a dying whale. Akira's face at this point was as red as her own hair color at the fact that her own body decided to betray her. Leone had a surprisingly good poker face, but even Akira could see just how hard the lion shifter was trying not to smirk or add a comment of any kind.

Overall, the kickboxer was embarrassed and just wished that she could either teleport out of here or turn herself invincible, if only for the moment. **Great... I don't want to ask her now!** She thought in shame as she shyly avoided Leone's gaze.

A warm hand suddenly laid on top of hers, making Akira look up at the outlaw, who smiled in kind as her golden eyes shone with so much compassion that the redhead almost found it to be blinding. **Were her eyes always that pretty?** She wondered.

"Akira, you have to eat." Leone spoke, gently as she grabbed the chopsticks on Akira's side of the table and with it the blonde got a good amount of noodles. She then got close close enough to feed the girl. "Here."

Instead the kickboxer shook her head defiantly, looking away once again with a fierce blush rising up her cheeks. The lion shifter had expected that, but regardless she refused to give up. One way or another Akira was going to eat her ramen, even if it took all night. Leone had plenty of time to waste.

"Aki, please. For me?" The outlaw softly pleaded, and she began to reason with the girl. "It's going to get cold. You don't want that, do you?"

"Fine, you win." The redhead sighed in defeat.

Thanks to Leone's assistance, Akira was finally able to finish her dinner. The ramen was delicious and the redhead was now drinking the broth, managing to use her good hand without help. She appeared to have chugged it a bit too fast as she had a coughing fit, a little bit of broth dribbling down Akira's chin.

The blonde smiled, taking a napkin and with it she wiped the redhead's chin. "Careful..."

"Thanks," The kickboxer said in gratitude, and afterwards she mumbled, "For everything..."

"No problem."

"There are my girls!" Dr. Leonard chirped in greeting, finally coming back from his smoke break. "I already paid our bill, so I'm ready to leave whenever you girls are ready." He told them.

Both Night Raid members looked at each other for a bit, smiling. "Yeah, we're ready."

* * *

 **Imperial Capital, Leonard's Clinic/Residence – Leone's Room**

After dinner, the small trio had arrived back to the clinic. Leonard had insisted that the girls would spend the night here since it was getting late, and personally he wasn't all too comfortable with letting the girls head home by themselves with how dangerous the Capital was at night. Leone and Akira didn't blame the man for thinking that way and so they had decided to stay at his request.

As the girls headed upstairs to the outlaw's old room, Leone couldn't but let a feeling of nostalgia flood her senses. It was weird being back in her old home. So many memories... Some good, some bad, but overall the blonde didn't regret any of it. Leaving this home was just a small price to pay. To make a name for herself, to venture out into the world and make her mark by traveling to new places and meeting new people. That's the kind of adventure Leone seeks. Though, those dreams would have to wait...

Right now, her duty was first and foremost to Night Raid and the Revolution itself.

Once they had arrived to Leone's room, Akira was greeted to an absolute pigsty. Clothes and shoes lay on every which way of the floor, all the way to the clutter under the bed. The closet wasn't much better. It was left open with empty hangers hanging on there, totally ignored as the clothes that it should be hanging onto lay on the ground bunch up into a huge pile, making it seem like the outlaw was too lazy to hang them up in the first place. Manga and comic books were left stacked up in towers on the corner of the room, some of them looking like they were about to collapse at any moment if you as so much touched them. And finally, empty bottles of Sake and many kinds of alcoholic drinks overflowed inside as well as the outside of the small tumbled trash can in the outlaw's room.

The only things that remained remotely tidy in this room was Leone's old bed, which was properly made with freshly cleaned sheets, along with a bookshelf filled with medical books lined up neatly in alphabetical order.

 **So, this is Leone's den...** It was pretty much how Akira imagined it to be. This room screamed that this was essentially Leone's habitat. Totally carefree without an utmost care in the world, just like its owner. **It looks cozy.** Admittedly, the redhead would've been lying if she said she'd be scared to find this room in a well-kept manner.

Meanwhile, the lion shifter was in absolute shock. Leone just couldn't believe that her room was kept EXACTLY the same as she had left it six years ago... Her mess was still there. Usually, when a child moves out, a parent cleans out their child's room depending on the household while other parents leave the room exactly as their child had left it. If Leonard did the latter then...

 **He really missed me...** The blonde finished the thought, feeling emotional all of a sudden. And honestly, she wanted to cry...

"Leone?"

Leone snapped out of her thoughts, almost forgetting that Akira was with her. "Hmm, what's up?"

"Are we going to step inside or are we going to keep standing here for the rest of the night?" The redhead teased her.

"O-Oh, yeah," The outlaw meekly responded, without her usual upbeat attitude. "Sorry about the mess..." She apologized as she the young girl stepped into her old room.

"It's alright." The kickboxer reassured her.

"I just...didn't expect him to leave my room exactly the way I left it." Leone quietly admitted, having a sad look in her golden eyes.

Akira noticed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, um... If you don't mind, I'm going to take bath." The blonde excused herself as she exited the room. "Just chill or whatever..."

The door closed and the redhead was left alone to her own devices. She'd suppose she could read some of Leone's manga to pass the time. And so Akira did just that, walking over near the stacked pile and grabbed a random one from the top of the tower before laying down on Leone's bed. The kickboxer settled on her right side as she began to read.

About an hour had passed by, and the redhead was still absorbed in her reading. Six manga sat by her side on the bed, having read them all since she's currently reading manga number seven. Being distracted as she was, Akira hadn't even noticed the door to the room had opened let alone closing right afterwards, and it was only when the kickboxer felt arms wrap around her from behind as well as a pair of ample breasts being pressed up against her back was the moment where Akira was aware of Leone's presence.

But presence is putting it mildly...

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!" Akira screeched in total embarrassment as she sat up straight in bed, escaping from the older girl's embrace. She quickly averted her gaze, shielding her eyes away from the blonde bombshell that lay right next to her.

Meanwhile, Leone was totally relaxed, amused even as she was staring up at the redhead. "You don't like what you see?"

"Stop answering a question with a question!" The redhead spoke, irritably as she still looked anywhere but the blonde. "That's not what I asked!"

"Do you find me hideous then?" The outlaw asked, actually looking teary eyed.

"That's not what I said in the slightest!"

"You do, don't you!" Sobs tore through her throat, a drastic change from her playful mood. "It's my breasts isn't?!"

Blue eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"I knew it, I just knew it!"

"Leone, what is going on?" Akira was so confused right now, finally daring to look at the lion shifter. It was a good thing she did because her blue eyes landed on the brown bottle in Leone's hands and she also noticed the older girl's flushed cheeks. "You were drinking? I thought you went to take a bath!"

"I did. I call it: Getting soaked 'n trashed." Leone corrected, hiccuping slightly as she spoke.

 **I can't believe this...!** The redhead thought exasperatedly as she closed her eyes while pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Can you at least put some clothes on?"

"Nope." The blonde gave a straight curt response, swigging back the rest of her drink.

"And, why not?" Akira dared to ask.

Leone grinned, settling under the covers. "I'm already in my PJ's."

"Oh, Gods..." The kickboxer went rigid, her eyes widening in horror.

"Wow. Am I really that ugly?"

"Stop it! I didn't say that!"

"Well, you're acting like it's a bad thing!" The outlaw pouted. "You said so yourself once before, remember? That I practically walk around half naked. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise and quite frankly, I hate sleeping with clothes. If I had my way, I'd be a nudist."

Akira looked puzzled. **But, that other time she-**

Seeing the inquiry in her eyes, Leone answered the unsaid question. "I was tired that night." She reached up with her hand, gently massaging the redhead's left shoulder. "The night when you got hurt on your first mission..." She whispered softly, tugging down the girl's shirt a bit so that she could see the old injury. Thankfully it had healed just fine, though some scarring was present as evidence from that encounter. "Does it hurt you still?"

It was a silly question, sure, but the blonde still felt the need to ask it and the sad look that Akira received from her really tugged at her heartstrings.

"Not anymore." The kickboxer replied honestly as she laid her good hand over Leone's, intertwining their fingers.

Leone smiled a bit before yawn came out of her lips, her eyelids dropping slightly as exhaustion finally started to set in. "Good..."

Akira returned that smile with one of her own, kissing the back of the blonde's hand before laying it down. "You should get some sleep." She said to the older girl, about to get up from the bed. The redhead didn't even get a chance to up because pretty soon she was dragged back down again, laying on Leone's side. "Leone, what the hel-"

"You're sleeping with me tonight." The lion shifter cut her off, pulling the young girl even closer to her. "And don't you worry, I'll keep my hands to myself." She promised as she closed her eyes.

Akira's mind was going haywire with only three words coming to the forefront of her mind. Leone. Naked. Bed. Over and over those thoughts kept repeating inside her head, her heart beating against her rib cage almost a hundred miles per minute. The kickboxer tried to squirm out of the outlaw's grasp, but to no avail her grip was iron tight. "Leone, please, I can sleep on the floor or I can take the couch downstairs! Please! Don't do this to me!"

Light snores were the only sound to reach the redhead's ears by this point, indicating that Leone had succumbed to slumber. Leaving a poor Akira to a night of restless sleep...

* * *

 **A/N2: Whelp, that's it for chapter 12 folks! I hope that you guys enjoyed the Leone/Akira interactions for this chapter, I know I did, especially since it's been a bit since last time I wrote moments for these two! As usual, please let me know what you think on your reviews. Any kind of support would be wonderful and appreciated! Until next time! XD**


	13. Kill the Trainees

**Disclaimer: I don't own Akame Ga Kill or any of its characters, but I DO own my OC's Akira and Takumi.**

 **A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while. Even though it was a couple of weeks ago, I can't believe that this story is officially a year old now! I would like to thank Drew Luczyski, Axel The Moon, and UzuRunner for reviewing, I also appreciate all the faves and follows this story has been receiving lately and the encouragement is just awesome! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Kill the Trainees**

 **Night Raid Hideout, Training Field**

At around dawn the next morning, Akira and Leone headed back to the hideout in time for breakfast. Luckily, nobody questioned the girls' whereabouts last night and even by the off chance the others did ask, the girls will willingly answer their inquiries. After all, they had nothing to hide.

Currently, Akira was practicing some shadowboxing in the training field. Though admittedly, her movements were a bit sluggish than normal. She herself had noticed that.

 **Damn it, Leone...** The kickboxer thought angrily, punching the air with renewed vigor.

Obviously, Akira wasn't able to sleep a wink last night due to Leone's sleeping arrangement, but as promised the outlaw did indeed keep her hands to herself and simply slumbered the night away. Regardless, it was all too much for the redhead. Her heart hadn't pounded so much since well...ever. If Akira so much as thought about the night before, even a little, her mind would immediately fog up and go straight to the gutter...

 **I bet she'd have her way with me last night, if given the chance...** The kickboxer shuddered at the thought, a heavy blush rising up to the entirety of her face. She later slapped herself in order to dispel these lecherous scenarios. **Don't think about it. Don't think about it! DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!**

As she continued scolding herself, an answer came from the heavens in the form of a wooden sword, which came flying at a incredible speed towards the unsuspecting redhead. It hit her at the back of the head. Not only did it hurt, but she also saw her vision turn white for a brief moment before her surroundings became blurry in front of her very eyes. In a daze, Akira swayed a bit before ultimately her legs decided to give out on her and so she collapsed on the ground.

"Oh, man! I did it again!" a familiar voice complained from afar, but it was a bit muffled for the redhead to identify. She heard footsteps coming her way as the young man knelt by her side to check up on her, "Akira, are you alright? I am so sorry!"

"Tatsumi..!" The kickboxer grumbled out, glaring at him.

The brunette let out a shaky laugh as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Well, if you're able to say my name while giving me a death glare, then I guess you're fine."

"Actually, I suppose I should thank you." Akira told him as she finally sat up from the ground.

Tatsumi tilted his head in confusion, "For what?"

The redhead chuckled, "Let's just say my mind was filled with unnecessary thoughts..." she simplified for him, "So, thank you for what you did."

The swordsman merely nodded, not quite understanding on where his friend was coming from, "No problem."

"So, I'm assuming that you were practicing Iaidō before you hit me with your sword?" Akira guessed, getting up from the ground as she dusted off her clothes.

"Y-Yeah. I'm really sorry about that..." Tatsumi apologized again, "I'm really having a hard time unsheathing my sword. I was amazed on how fast Master Gensei was able to do it." he remarked, and then his shoulders slumped a bit soon afterwards, "It's been six weeks since our training with them...and I still can't believe that he and the other masters were evil..."

"They weren't evil Tatsumi, not exactly anyway. They were just past the point of no return when it came to their sanity, they knew that what they were doing was wrong from a human's perspective but even so they chose to give in to instinct." the redhead told him her opinion, looking up at the sky, "If Night Raid hadn't infiltrated Lupin's old hideout five years ago, I probably would've ended up just like our masters..."

At hearing this, the brunette straightened up as he furiously shook his head, "No! I refuse to believe that!"

"How can you be so sure?" Akira asked, amusingly as she raised a brow, "You didn't know me back then."

"I know that! But, even so..." Tatsumi balled his hands into fists, "Even so, I know you now. You survived that Hell! That already shows what you're capable of, and regardless of what you've been through you tried your best to live a normal life-"

"That still doesn't change the fact that I did some unspeakable things in the past." the kickboxer cut him off.

The swordsman's viridian eyes shone with determination, refusing to back down, "That wasn't your fault! You were kidnapped, you were imprisoned, you were _**FORCED**_ to do those terrible things! You did not do them of your own volition!"

"I don't understand you, Tatsumi. I get what you're trying to say, I really do, but a life is still a life. I still feel guilt for what I've done. The role I was forced to play wasn't a pretty one. And, I still hear them..." the redhead whispered, but loud enough for her teammate to listen, "I hear the voices of the kids I've slain, and not even in my dreams I get to be spared by them. Over time I've learned, somewhat, to cope with the past and as much as I would like to forget...I'd still have some 'souvenirs'." she finished darkly, glaring at her bandaged hands as she clenched them into fists.

"It's alright. The feeling is mutual."

Surprised at hearing his response, Akira looked up at Tatsumi in bewilderment.

"I don't understand you either Akira, but I would like to try." the brunette spoke, honestly as he took a hold of Akira's hands. He then looked at her in the eyes. "And regardless of what you say, I still think that you're a good person. The least you could do for those children is to take down Lupin on your own terms. It might not be total closure, it won't bring them back, but it's something you could do for them and for yourself! So, when the time comes...you can be sure that the others and I will be right behind you." he proclaimed to her as a promise.

The kickboxer didn't know what to say, totally awestruck by Tatsumi's words. **How can he look at me with such kind eyes and still think of me as a person?** She wondered.

Similar to the others within Night Raid, Akira also finds Tatsumi to be a total mystery when it came to this occupation. The swordsman's good nature would seem like a facade for anyone at first sight upon meeting him. In truth, that is how Tatsumi acted and just like the old saying goes: Appearances can be deceiving.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here~?" a familiar male voice spoke amusingly.

"Dammit! It's not fair!" a second voice whined pathetically, cursing under his breath, "Tatsumi always gets the girls, I swear!"

"Lubbock! Bro! What are you guys doing here?!" the brunette blabbed out in surprise, his eyes widening from their sudden presence.

Bulat merely chuckled, "Last time I checked, this was the training field."

"Unless, you love birds would like some quality time together!" Lubbock teased, a hint of jealousy in his tone.

 **Love birds? What the Hell would give them that impression?!** Akira thought exasperatedly, and then it occurred to her... She and Tatsumi were still holding hands. **Oh, Gods...!** A blush soon rushed up to her face upon her realization, and on reflex the redhead roughly flipped the boy on his back on the ground.

"Ouch...!" the swordsman groaned, struggling to sit up, "What the heck did I do?!"

The kickboxer didn't answer. Instead, she just huffed and looked to the side, totally ignoring him.

"Now, now," Bulat cooed, trying to ease up the small tension before it even escalated, "Let's not rough up any pretty faces."

Akira cleared her throat, desperate to move the conversation along, "So, it's a given that Handso- I mean, Bulat, is here and it's not that I'm not happy to see you or anything but... What are YOU doing here, Lubbly?"

"I recently decided to work out my muscles, and with Bulat here I'm sure I'll be able to achieve some results." Lubbock answered her with a grin.

 **Oh-ho! Lubbly, I think there's more to it than that.** The redhead thought as a matter of fact, and so she decided to tease him, "Are you sure that it isn't just to impress the Boss?"

The tactician's eyes widened in shock, "HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" he exclaimed.

"You're practically an open book, Lubbock." the veteran stated the obvious.

"Besides, I highly doubt that this plan of yours is going to work on the Boss..." Tatsumi deadpanned.

Lubbock pouted as he furiously stomped his foot on the ground, "You guys are so mean to me! And, how would you know that my plan isn't going to work?! There's still a chance for me!"

"We don't mean any harm Lubbly." Akira reassured him, "Why don't you try a different approach?" She suggested.

"What kind of approach?" the green haired boy asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm, I don't know... How about the honest, not-so-totally, perverted approach?" the brunette spoke, sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Lubbock huffed, glaring at the swordsman, "I don't think I like your tone..."

"Instead of beating yourselves up, how about we do a good old fashion contest? An endurance challenge! We could all use a good work out." Bulat stepped in the middle of his comrades, keeping them apart. He then looked at the redhead, "You too Akira! Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to!" Akira responded in glee. **Anything to be next to Handsome!**

* * *

"One!"

"One."

"One..."

"One...!" Takumi repeated in boredom for the umpteenth time as a drone, sitting on the ground cross-legged, a clear sign that he has been here quite a while.

The young boy was called over to oversee a group exercise for his sister and the male members of Night Raid. Bulat ordered the group that they should start with a 4-Man Push-up. It was an exercise where you find four healthy people of relatively proportionate strength and size. Everyone has to be arranged where each person's shins are on the next person's lower back, and once that is achieved the whole group needed to do push-ups simultaneously. It was a great group exercise, except...

"Dammit Lubbock!" Bulat practically barked out in frustration as he held up his push-up position, his body covered in sweat, "Put your back into it!"

"I'm trying! This 4-Man Push-up thing is a lot harder than it looks!" the wired tactician complained, his arms visibly shaking from the workload.

"Oh please, you only have like a third of the weight! Bro is supporting ALL OF OURS!" Tatsumi argued from his side.

Akira let out a dry chuckle, feeling fatigued as well, "I'm the only girl here and have less the weight for this exercise. Aren't boys supposedly stronger than girls? How're you going to impress the Boss if you're not putting in the effort?" she teased.

"Gimme a break!" Lubbock whined, his face becoming beat red in embarrassment.

"Alright," the veteran called their attention, wheezing a bit as exhaustion started to set in, "I think it's time to break it up..."

Not even a minute passed by as those words left Bulat's mouth, and before the others even had a chance to disentangle themselves from their position...

"DOG PILE!"

The small group got squashed to death, plummeting to the ground as they succumbed to the heavy wait on their backs.

Lubbock groaned, "My back...!"

Akira growled, daring to say a snark comment, "Who knew that a Blonde could weigh so much? It must be those huge jugs she carries around all the time...!"

In response to her rude comment, Leone grabbed a hold of Akira's hair and purposely buried the redhead's face into the ground, making her eat dirt, "Is that any way to say hello? You'd think you would've learned some manners by this point."

"Hey, Big Sister Leone!" Takumi grinned at her in greeting, so unlike his sister when it comes to attitude.

"Now, that's more like it!" the outlaw smiled, "Your sister is such a grump. How do you put up with her?"

The young boy chuckled, "Akira means well, that was just her special way of saying hello."

"Hey, uh Sis, would you mind getting off of us? Pretty please?" Tatsumi begged with the lion shifter, barely able to breathe from the sudden weight.

"Hmm, sure, why not? That seems like a sensible request." Leone responded as she finally released her hold on Akira, who quickly proceeded to spit the muck out of her mouth, before getting back up to her feet.

"Wench...!" the redhead grumbled under her breath, glaring at the outlaw, who returned it with one of her own.

"Bitch."

"Alright, enough laying around in the dirt!" Bulat chided them, standing up to his full impressive height, "If we're serious about improving ourselves, then prove it to me by running ten laps around the hideout!"

The boys along with Akira herself groaned, but ultimately they broke into a run to start their laps.

The blonde snickered and she couldn't help but tease by saying, "You guys are a bunch of sweaty monkeys, aren't ya?"

"If you're going to tease, then I'm getting the assumption that you would like to join us? Is that right?" Bulat glared at the outlaw, daring her to say something.

Leone shrunk a bit, laughing shakily, "No sir, not me, nope! I'll leave you guys to it..."

"That's what I thought." The veteran responded as he turned around, about to break off into a run and catch up to the others.

"Wait a minute, Bulat."

The raven haired man stopped and turned to face the blonde, "What is it?"

"Here," the outlaw handed him a pouch, "My original intention was to hand these to you guys, but I got distracted..."

Curious, Bulat opened the small bag, his blue eyes widening in surprise, "Beef jerky, huh?"

"Yeah, a good friend of mine was having a sale at their shop near my neighborhood and she gave me some for free." Leone explained, smiling a bit as she put her hands behind her head, "Just do me a favor and share some with the others too, would ya?" she winked.

The muscular man smiled, "Sure."

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout: Outside**

"Come on ladies, let me see some hustle!" Bulat hollered at them during their formation run, being the alpha in leading the pack.

Tatsumi breathed heavily, obviously feeling worn out, "B-Bro, we're not ladies...!"

"In my eyes, you totally are until you can prove to me you're men!" the veteran proclaimed to his pupil. He then added, "This, of course, goes loosely for Akira. Since, you know, she's not a guy."

 **And yet, you're definitely not afraid of pulling any punches, Handsome.** Akira thought to herself as she tried her best to keep up with the group.

"This is hard..." Lubbock whined, "My legs are starting to feel like jelly."

"Jelly means it's working!" Bulat encouraged his comrade, "When I'm done whipping you all into shape, all of you will thank me later for my efforts!"

Akira's sky blue eyes widened in shock, face flushed as her fantasies began to take over, "W-Whip? What kind of whip are we talking about here...?!"

"Akira, PLEASE! Your little brother is here for Gods' sake!" Tatsumi scolded her, his cheeks covered up in a pink shade of red at her suggestiveness.

Oblivious to the perverted comment, Takumi tilted his head in confusion, "Did she mean whipped cream?"

Lubbock gave a winded laugh, patting the boy's head, "I'll tell you when you're older."

"Listen up!" Bulat hollered for their undivided attention, "We're going to break up the formation and once I do, I want you guys to run as fast as you can all the way back to the hideout! Last person to make it back has to do a hundred push-ups and a special exercise from yours truly. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then, sprint for it!" the veteran commanded them, "Go, go, go!"

* * *

Once they were released from their formation run, all of the boys ran as fast as their legs could take them. Meanwhile, Akira stayed behind as she jogged at her usual pace.

 **Good grief, Lubbly and Tatsumi really don't want to face Handsome's punishment, then again... Who even wants too?** The redhead shook her head, chuckling a bit. **Nah. As much as I love Handsome, even I have to admit that his punishment is a bit too much. I'm not that much of a masochist, yet.**

"Okay then, time to beat the others!" Akira decided out loud, grinning evilly all the while, "Handsome did say to make it back to the hideout, but he didn't say how, which means...it's time for a short cut!"

After her decision, the kickboxer derailed from the path and headed towards the forest. Halfway through her run, Akira ran into an unexpected creature, one that she never thought she'd see again...

Once she spotted a certain yellow, lion-like mane, the redhead hid behind a tree. Angry roars filled the air, and admittedly it sent shivers down Akira's spine. **Damn, I think it saw me...**

Luckily, the kickboxer's concern was a false alarm of sorts. Roars and growls sounded around the area, but for some reason the Danger Beast itself wasn't pursuing its prey. Curious, Akira warily took a peek. Upon closer inspection, the Danger Beast specifically turned out to be the Jackaleo the redhead encountered a month ago with Takumi. The proof was in the feline's horns, one of them was broken as a consequence for their previous confrontation.

Though the beast has long since noticed Akira's appearance, it seemed reluctant to take chase, or more like it couldn't. The Jackaleo was tied upside down on a tree, it must've fallen for one of Lubbock's traps. Angry roars and painful whimpers filled the air as the feline creature swayed in the air, trying its best to get down but to no avail it could not.

 **It's okay buddy, I know _exactly_ how that feels...** Akira thought sympathetically, knowing full-well the pain the Danger Beast must be enduring through since she herself had to deal with this exact same trap a month ago, and admittedly the redhead couldn't but feel strangely sorry for the poor animal.

However, the redhead just shrugged off these feelings. She might as well ignore it and head to the hideout, Akira still has a run to finish after all and she wouldn't wait to face Bulat's punishment later...

As soon as she moved a stepped towards the opposite direction, a whine caught her attention. The kickboxer turned around and the moment she did, she instantly regretted it, the Jackaleo's red eyes were staring at her pleadingly. Well, two of them did, its third eye looked more like a glare than a pleading stare.

Akira sighed as she scratched the back of her head, "Make up your mind bud, do you want me to help you or not?"

Another whine followed soon afterwards.

 **What on Earth am I getting myself into?** The redhead wondered to herself. I mean, sure, she loves animals but even she has to wonder if an actual Danger Beast could even count as much. Akira shook her head. **Nope! It's too risky, and even if I _did_ manage to get close enough to help it... What are the chances that it'll catch me in its grasp and eats me as its final meal?** She turned her head to look at the trapped feline once more. **But, then again...**

Bracing herself, the kickboxer dared to get near the beast, her hands up as if to show the Jackaleo she didn't mean any harm, "Alright big cat, I'm going to help you down now..."

Once she got close enough to the tree, the Jackaleo started to growl menacingly, its red eyes peering down at Akira for any suspicious movements. Trying her best to ignore the potential threat she is attempting to help, the redhead followed the rope line from the feline's hind leg all the way to its original source. It was a couple of trees off, but Akira managed to find it.

At first she wrapped her bandaged hands around the thread that was tied around the tree trunk, and with it she started messing with it, checking to see if this was indeed the correct rope. Akira flinched as an angry, pain-filled, roar rang out through the air, confirming it as such...

"M-My bad..." the kickboxer apologized, letting out a shaky laugh.

As scared as she was, Akira didn't let fear stay still in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she went to work in cutting down the rope with her survival knife. A snap, followed by a heavy thump, confirmed that the feline was freed.

After putting her knife away, the redhead barely had time to scram out of there seeing as the Jackaleo she just helped managed to find her...

 **Great, this is just _great_...!** Akira chastised herself under her breath, taking a cautious step back, and when she did the Danger Beast charged with a roar as it managed to tackle her down to the ground. In her panic, the kickboxer raised her arms to shield her head as her body shook like a leaf, to terrified to move a muscle. **I AM SOO DEAD!**

During the girl's inner turmoil, the Jackaleo growled as it sniffed the human that helped him. A clean, savory meaty aroma filled its nostrils as it smelled something delicious. Curious, the feline nudged his head against the girl's side, while doing so it accidentally caused Akira's shirt to ride up a bit thus tickling her.

Snapping her out of her terrified state, the kickboxer started to laugh while trying her best to move the beast off of her but to no avail the feline wouldn't budge, "W-What...are...you...doing?!" she spoke, breathlessly between laughs as she finally managed to look down to see what the animal was attempting to do.

The Danger Beast was trying to remove something from her short pocket. While a bit hesitant to move, Akira slowly inched her hand down towards her pocket, and when she finally dug it out the Jackaleo's eyes were glued to the small pouch she had on hand.

"You want my beef jerky?" the redhead couldn't help but ask in both amusement and relief, taking a piece out and threw it as far as she could away from her to lure the beast. "Knock yourself out!" she encouraged the feline. **Better than me, that's for sure.**

It worked. The lion-like creature trotted off to where the snack fell and started devouring it.

 **Good. Now, to get the hell out of here!** Akira put her pouch away in her short pocket and got up to her feet, but before she could even break off into a run...

She felt a nudge from behind.

The kickboxer turned around to find the Jackaleo's head nuzzling against her side, purring while pawing against her shorts. **_Perfect!_ It wants more, and I only have like three pieces of jerky left?!** She thought in a panic.

"Alright, alright, stop with the motor boat. I'll feed ya." Akira sighed in defeat, taking out her pouch again.

Amusingly, the Danger Beast backed off from her and sat down, tilting his head at her expectantly.

 **Call me crazy, but this actually isn't that bad...** The redhead conceded with a small smile, all of a sudden feeling happy of making a bond of sorts with this creature. **In fact, it's kind of cute.**

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout: Hallway**

It was around dusk by the time Akira made it back to the hideout, and by then she spent a total of three hours in the training field as she faced Bulat's punishment. While part of her absolutely didn't mind spending time with the handsome veteran, the other half complained. Her entire body was crying in pure misery for delaying so much during her run...

 **I really shouldn't have help that Jackaleo...** The kickboxer chastised herself for getting distracted as she walked sluggishly through the hallway while massaging her tense shoulder, ultimately deciding to retire to her room for the night.

"Hey, Aki~!"

Akira groaned as she turned her head upon being called, surprised to see Leone along with the other girls in Night Raid, "Hey."

"What's with the dull greeting?" the blonde asked with a pout, clearly displeased.

"Well, _excuse me_ for feeling dead tired at the moment..." the redhead spoke, grumpily as she stretched out her back, all of the girls except for Akame winced at hearing the sudden bone pop come from their friend. Akira chuckled pitifully, "Yep, I am dying..."

"It sounds to me like you need some relaxation." Mine mentioned.

Sheele nodded in agreement, "Would you like to come with us to the hot springs?"

"Hot springs, huh?" the kickboxer looked at Akame, "I'm surprised that you're going along with them."

"I was promised food." the raven clarified with a blank stare.

 **Ah, bait.** Akira thought in realization, not at all surprised from her teammate's answer.

A sudden arm wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her close to the lion shifter, "Who cares about the food?! Booze is where its at!" she cheered, nuzzling her face to Akira's, "How about it Red? Care to join us on a ladies night? You can be my drinking buddy~!"

"I-I'll pass!" the redhead squeaked out, her face flushing the same color as her own hair when her mind flashed to last night with the outlaw.

Leone pouted, visibly disappointed, "Oh, come on Aki~!"

"I said no, Blondie," Akira spoke, firmly as she subconsciously fiddled with her bandaged hands, "I'm just going to head to bed. You girls have fun..."

And with that the kickboxer headed further down the hallway, leaving the other female members of Night Raid.

"That was weird." Mine commented, breaking the sudden silence.

"I don't get it," the blonde sighed irritably, resuming her walk while the girls followed after her, "One moment I get along just fine with her, and then the next moment Akira gets closed off again. Whenever she gets like that, it makes me feel like I did something wrong." she complained, almost feeling guilty for some reason.

Sheele for the most part looked concerned, "She did seemed troubled..." Leone visibly shrunk from hearing her, and the schere wielder quickly spoke up to clarify the misunderstanding, "But, I don't think it was because of you, Leone! I think maybe she just wanted some time alone!" she insisted.

"It sure doesn't feel like it to me..." the outlaw hung her head in defeat.

"I think she just felt self-conscious, that's all." Akame stated, giving her guess on the situation.

Mine tilted her head in thought, crossing her arms as she recalled the redhead's actions, "Now, that you mention it... she was fiddling with her hands just now, maybe that could be it after all, Akame."

Listening to the probable causes the girls were talking about, Leone still couldn't shake the fact the maybe she really did something wrong to Akira. She closed her eyes and tried to remember.

 **Why was it so bad for her to go to the hot springs with us?** The lion shifter wondered, and she soon realized why...

 _Just please... Please! Give me some privacy. I don't want you to see, I don't want **anybody** to see me like this...! I couldn't bear it..._

 **Ah. I remember now.** Leone recalled, reprimanding herself. **How could I forget about that? How could I forget how _frightened_ she was?!** Unconsciously, she gritted her teeth along with balling her hands into fists in subtle anger.

"Leone, are you alright?"

All of a sudden the outlaw straightened up, coming back to reality as she turned her head to her best friend, who was looking at her in worry along with the other girls, "Who? Me?" Leone pointed at herself, playing dumb.

Mine rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Yes, you! We've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes, but you clearly seem to be somewhere else."

"S-Sorry..." the blonde apologized.

"If you want, we can have a ladies night some other day?" Sheele suggested, understanding if her teammate wasn't in the mood to party at the moment, "I certainly won't mind if that's the case."

"My problem is that I'm too sober, I want my sake!" Leone whined, giving a half-truth while pretending to be just fine, "Come on slowpokes, the hot springs await us!"

The blonde charged ahead on a run, with the girls having no choice but to run themselves if they wanted to catch up with the lion shifter.

 **If that really is the problem, I'll apologize and make it up to her later.** Leone mentally decided, sighing. **Somehow...**

* * *

 **Night Raid Hideout: Akira's Room**

Finally making it to her room, Akira actually didn't do much. She just closed the door and removed clothes, heading off straight to bed. The redhead didn't know why, but she felt...lost. Her mind and feelings seemed to take her adrift lately and by the time she realizes it, it's because of a certain blonde...

Inviting her to hot springs wasn't a bad idea per say, but she had two reasons for saying no. The first was self-explanatory while the second was just overkill for her concerning of how she feels for a certain someone at the moment.

Akira raised her arm to look at one of her bandaged hands, "Would she really accept me despite of how I look like?"

 **No.** She told herself, burying herself further into the covers. **That's just wishful thinking. It would never happen...**

* * *

 **A/N: Whelp folks, this is it for chapter 13! What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Please let me know on your reviews. And, like I mentioned at the start of this chapter, it has been quite a while since I've updated this story and I sincerely apologize for the delay... Admittedly, it's been one thing after another for me this year. Not in a bad way, of course, but obviously important things occupied my attention.**

 **Chapter 14: Kill the Relic Wielder will finally be the next chapter which should be relatively fast for me to type since I'm essentially re-writing the chapter with my own little spins added to it. I'm also thinking of maybe having Lupin and Seryu make an appearance for this next chapter, though I'm still kind of not sure how that will turn out but at most this will be a definite maybe.**

 **Anyway, as always please review, fave, and follow this story to your heart's content! Reading your comments and seeing my potential followers for this story makes my day and encourages me to write more. Until next time! ;D**


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